FRISCO, Texas — The next time Dallas Cowboys fans see DeMarvion Overshown on the field, live, will be at training camp in Oxnard in late July, but he won’t look the same as he did in his first camp in 2023, and not simply because he changed his jersey to number 13.
Overshown used his time off the field (recovering from a torn ACL suffered last August) to get stronger in preparation for what will essentially be his true rookie season in 2024.
The former third-round pick explains why he’s made a concerted effort over the past few months to put on a notable amount of muscle on his already long, athletic frame as he prepares to take on the WILL (weak-side linebacker) role for the defense. by Mike Zimmer.
“I’ve definitely grown since last year,” Overshown said. “That was more of me looking at my future in this league and what would be best for my body (being productive on the field), and that was gaining weight.
“And not just gain weight overall, but gain lean mass, gain muscle weight and get stronger. I’ve gained about 12 to 13 pounds of lean mass, and I’m going to go into camp a little bigger and then get down to where I want to play, which it will be around 233 or 234 [libras]”.
And speaking of Zimmer, it’s well known how much he demands of linebackers in his defensive schemes. Overshown entered the league under Dan Quinn, who is now the head coach of the Washington Commanders, and is now adjusting to his second NFL defensive coordinator.
However, it has been an easy transition.
“I like Zim because he really teaches us football,” he said. “You feel it and you understand well everything that happens with the defense. You know what [están haciendo] the safeties and what the defensive line is doing in front of you, and it’s easy to click with everyone.”
The last part of that statement is something that led Zimmer and the Cowboys to use a third-round pick this year on Marist Liufau as well, since the defense Liufau was a part of at Notre Dame required linebackers (and all players) learned and memorized their role and the responsibility of each defensive player on each play.
Overshown and others, aided by the mentorship of Eric Kendricks, who will meet with Zimmer and help those around him acclimate to such expectations, will need to do the same in Dallas.
The ex-Longhorn is a sponge for anything Zimmer wants to throw at him.
“I tell people all the time that I’m excited to play for him,” Overshown said. “I’ve seen who he’s coached, the defenses he’s been a part of, and they’ve all been special. When you play for a guy like this, you want to take everything he says and write it down, make a mental note of it, because it’s not for you. saying nothing that won’t make you a great player in this league.”
It’s that type of mentality that will likely pay its first dividends in helping shorten Overshown’s learning curve in what will be his first appearance in the NFL regular season.
He will soon be medically cleared, his goal is to avoid starting training camp on the team’s PUP (Physically Unable to Play) list.
The 23-year-old is currently “ahead”, both physically and mentally.
And that’s great news for the Cowboys defense, because while they say you can’t miss what you’ve never had, it would be difficult to apply that logic to Overshown’s absence last season.
2024-05-24 15:23:49
#Weight #gain #Zimmer #Expectations
