In a “next-man-up” league like the NFL, it’s easy to lose track of players who land on the IR.
These NFC East players hope to pick up where they left off after missing all or most of the 2023 season.
DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Dallas Cowboys
Overshown played safety in college but was drafted to play linebacker in 2023. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his ACL in training camp.
Undeterred, the former third-round pick spent the year working with Cowboys rehab specialist Britt Brown while adding 12-13 pounds of lean mass.
“I feel so much more powerful. I’m so much stronger. I feel like I have gotten faster,” Overshown told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I feel and look like a linebacker now.”
According to reports, the 23-year-old linebacker is ahead of schedule in his recovery, with his goal being to avoid the team's PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) List when the team opens training camp.
How he’ll perform under new offensive coordinator Mike Zimmer remains to be seen, but so far, he’s saying all the right things.
"I tell people all of the time that I'm excited to play for him," Overshown told reporters. "I've seen who he's coached, the defenses he's been a part of, and they've all been special."
Fortunately, he’ll be playing alongside Eric Kendricks, an eight-year veteran of Zimmer’s system who should only help the young linebacker.
Joshua Ezeudu, LT, New York Giants
After starting 2023 as the team’s left tackle, Ezeudu suffered a toe injury in Week 6 and spent the rest of the year on injured reserve. A third-round pick in 2022, Ezeudu appeared in 10 games with two starts as a rookie, committing three penalties and allowing three sacks.
He followed it up with six penalties and five sacks allowed in 2023, but fortunately for the Giants, left tackle Andrew Thomas should be ready to go after missing seven games with a hamstring injury last season.
Ezeudu has worked everywhere but center in the offseason with the bulk of his reps coming at right tackle. He may be ill-suited as a starting left tackle, but his versatility could be an asset in 2024.
Nakobe Dean, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
After playing 34 snaps as a rookie, Dean played five games in 2023 before going on injured reserve with a foot injury. Dean was a Butkus Award-winning, national champion linebacker when he arrived in Philadelphia as a third-round pick in 2022. Since then, he’s made four starts and 43 tackles.
Dean participated in seven-on-seven drills during the team’s recent minicamp and believes he’s close to making a full recovery, telling reporters, “I’m toward the end right now, the very end. I have a date, I won’t give you the date, but it’s very soon.”
Darrick Forrest, S, Washington Commanders
Drafted primarily to play special teams in 2021, Forrest became one of the better stories for Washington with a team-high four interceptions in 2022. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury ended his 2023 season after just five games.
Fully healthy, the young safety sounds eager to play under new head coach Dan Quinn.
"That gets me excited," Forrest said. "You wanna run and hit? Oh yeah. That's my brand of football. There's something about being physical. It just brings excitement to the game. And when you hit somebody hard, that adrenaline gets going."
After allowing a league-worst 262.2 yards per game through the air last season, Washington should be thrilled to get Forrest on the field after losing safety Kamren Curl to the Rams in free agency. a
