DeMarvion Overshown could do more Thursday than he had Wednesday. The Cowboys linebacker moved from limited participation to a full practice after missing the Nov. 8 win over Indianapolis with hamstring and back issues. That gives Dallas a better basis for considering him against San Francisco.
The next decision is how to fit a returning linebacker into a defense still sorting its available players, rather than deciding the whole Sunday workload from one practice.
Full participation gives the coaches a chance to prepare with Overshown before the Cowboys host the 49ers at AT&T Stadium. That is where a possible return begins to become a football decision. Dallas can consider the work he completes alongside the rest of the group, then decide which responsibilities he can handle.
A Sunday role still has to follow from that work; the improved designation alone does not supply the assignment.
The important part of his return is not simply getting a familiar name back onto the defense. Dallas needs to know whether Overshown can resume his linebacker assignment while the players around the edge are available enough to make the overall plan coherent. Those are connected questions, even if they appear on separate lines of an injury report.
Overshown was listed with hamstring and back issues, and his Wednesday-to-Thursday progression says more about his immediate football availability than the label alone. He went from limited to full participation in one day. That does not erase the missed game or guarantee a normal workload Sunday, but it does move him closer to performing the job Dallas expected him to handle before the absence.
The Cowboys’ edge picture is less tidy. Von Miller went from a Wednesday non-injury-related rest day to full participation Thursday, giving Dallas a veteran option back in the work column. Marist Liufau was also full both days.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, however, remained out with an ankle issue for a second straight practice. The report does not rule Ezeiruaku out Sunday, but his absence from both Thursday’s work and Wednesday’s work leaves less certainty at a position that can change how a linebacker is deployed.
That matters because a linebacker’s return is not an isolated plug-in. Overshown can be cleared to participate, yet the coaching staff still has to decide how much of his normal responsibility belongs in the plan and how much pressure the edge group can support. If Miller is available for a substantial role, Dallas has one set of choices.
If Ezeiruaku remains unavailable and the group is thinner, Overshown’s workload may be shaped by the broader defensive rotation rather than by his practice designation alone.
