Assuming, of course, that the grades and rankings at Pro Football Focus are not the end-all, be-all of player evaluation but do offer a representative look at how players are performing, it’s safe to say that no team employs less productive linebackers than the Cowboys, especially with DeMarvion Overshown injured again to start this season.
According to PFF, Jack Sanborn rated No. 55 out of 82 NFL linebackers, which ranks as the best linebacker on the team, though he is on IR and has played the fewest snaps in the trio with Kenneth Murray and Shemar James. Things get worse for them: Murray rates No. 78 in the NFL, and James ranks 81st. Yes, out of 82.
So news that Logan Wilson (No. 58) is coming to the Cowboys to bolster the linebacking corps was welcome ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and addressing the media later in the evening, coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed more welcome news when he said that Overshown is slated to be back on the field after the Week 10 bye.
DeMarvion Overshown Slated for Return
The Cowboys made headlines on Tuesday, not so much for the Wilson addition but for the acquisition of Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, the three-time Pro Bowler who turns 28 next month and is ranked No. 7 out of 124 defensive linemen at PFF.
Wilson and Williams will need to get integrated into what figures to be an entirely revamped Cowboys defense, and just in time–Dallas ranks 31st in the NFL in points allowed (277) and yards allowed (3,577). Schottenheimer said that they will be joined by Overshown on the field in Week 11, with rookie defensive back Shavon Revel also a possibility to play.
Overshown is coming back from a massive knee injury (torn ACL, PCL and MCL) suffered in December 2024.
Said Schottenheimer: “We got a lot of guys coming back from injuries as well. It’s not just that it falls on these two guys, it’s getting some guys back from injuries. D-Mo should be back this week. The safeties are starting to look healthier and Revel. So, it’s the right time for us, the right time for a bye. Very pleased with what we did today.”
Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams Move Bolsters Defensive Front
The Cowboys played against the Jets back in Week 5, and Schottenheimer said that experience playing against Williams helped secure his confidence that he would be a guy who could help the Cowboys immediately.
“We’ve played him a couple times, played him a couple of weeks ago. He’s just a difference-maker,” Schottenheimer said. “The ability to affect the interior of the pocket from a pass-rush standpoint—12 sacks a couple years ago … Very disruptive for us.
“There’s certain calls you make, you’re aware when he’s in the game because he’s so disruptive. We had alerting calls when he is out of the game. We had set protections based on him. You guys see it. You see the talent. But I love the play style, the way the guy plays, the way he runs to the football.”
Cowboys Trade Price Was High
The price was high, however, and the Cowboys will need to swallow that. Wilson had fallen out of the rotation with the Bengals, and Dallas gave up only a seventh-round pick to get him. But the Williams trade required a massive haul–a second-rounder in 2026 and a first-rounder in 2027 (the better of the Cowboys’ or the Packers‘ pick that year) as well as 2023 draft bust Mazi Smith.
The Cowboys took some heat for the cost of the trade, but the team does still maintain two first-rounders in 2026, as well as one of its first-rounders in 2027. Dallas will get Williams for this season, and can control him for two years at $47 million total, with a potential out after the 2026 season.
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