The season-ending knee injury to Dallas Cowboys rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is a legit blow to the defensive depth chart and special teams unit.

As a third-round draft pick, Overshown had been turning heads all throughout training camp and played well enough in the preseason to have everyone thinking he was LB3 entering the regular season. 

But now that he must deal with a torn ACL, it won't be until 2024 that we see him make an impact on the team. For now, the Cowboys must turn to free agency or to their in-house options to find a replacement for Overshown.

Based on what we've seen, the current Cowboys' depth chart at linebacker looks as follows:

• Leighton Vander Esch
• Damone Clark
• DeMarvion Overshown
• Jabril Cox
• Devin Harper
• Malik Jefferson

Cox and Harper stand out on that list as both have shown good athleticism in their young NFL careers so far. They both appear to have the inside track compared to Jefferson. But still, they have a combined 45 snaps (they all belong to Cox).

The inexperience could potentially lead the Cowboys to target a linebacker free agent or reach another type of solution. Below are the three best potential answers to the problem they're facing following the rookie's injury.

3 potential solutions to replace Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown

LB Rashaan Evans

There aren’t many options out there when it comes to free-agent linebackers. But Evans is perhaps the best of them. He’s not going to make fans excited but he did start 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons last year and made 159 tackles and six tackles for loss.

Evans is still 26 years old, which makes him a solid option. However, he isn't one of the best cover linebackers out there which makes us question how much Dan Quinn would consider him.

LB Anthony Barr

Could the Cowboys take a page out of last year’s playbook and sign Anthony Barr just weeks ahead of the regular season? Things would be different this time around as they’d be signing him for a backup role instead of throwing him into a starter playing time in September.

He knows Quinn's system already after spending 2022 in Dallas. The former Pro Bowler is worth a look. Perhaps this is the way to end Barr's wild free agency period.

3-Safety look RAMP UP

If the Cowboys decide to bank on their guys, they wouldn't be betting solely on Cox and Harper. They'd also be betting on one of their most talented units: the safety position group.

Dallas' defense has a terrifying pass rush–but don't sleep on the talented, versatile secondary.

Last year, amongst teams that used dime personnel at least 10% of the time, the Cowboys ranked 1st in both opposing QBR (28.9) and EPA/play (-0.22). pic.twitter.com/BeXKVWy4y1

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 22, 2023

Quinn's defense used dime personnel (six defensive backs) at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL thanks to his three-safety looks. Perhaps doubling down on that front is the way to go when needed. Instead of subbing in LB3, playing a lot of dime personnel with three safeties on the field could be the answer to the problem. Jayron Kearse in particular can be a S/LB hybrid.

If we're talking about getting the best players on the field, this is probably the team's best bet. But adding a LB for depth can't hurt.

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Featured image via Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports