Cowboys say hello to Christian Parker and hope he can turn around a dismal defense

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FRISCO, Texas (AP) — New Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker remembers meeting coach Brian Schottenheimer, a very quick hello a few years ago during training camp.

“Good memory, man,” Schottenheimer said during Parker's introductory news conference Wednesday. “See how smart he is? I wouldn’t remember that.”

That's not to say the coach Schottenheimer hired away from NFC East rival Philadelphia wasn't on his radar.

“This is a name that I’ve had in my notebook for the last couple of years,” said Schottenheimer, going into his second season leading the Cowboys after a quarter-century as an NFL assistant. “People just kept talking about this guy from Denver, well Green Bay originally, but Denver and Philadelphia. He was a name that I had been hearing a lot about for a long time.”

Parker was with the Broncos when they had a joint practice with Dallas in 2022, and a meet and greet afterward. He didn't talk football then with Schottenheimer, who was a Cowboys consultant, so this interview process was the first time for that.

Schottenheimer said the club did more than 40 interviews, nine defensive coordinators among them. Parker was the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Eagles, which meant they had to grant the Cowboys permission to talk to the 34-year-old because replacing Matt Eberflus, fired after just one season, would be a promotion.

Philadelphia cornerback Cooper DeJean, who needed just two seasons to become an All-Pro under Parker, made it clear on social media how he felt after the news broke, writing on X with a sullen-faced emoji, “Mannnn. They got a great one — wouldn’t be the player I am without CP.”

“I think great players make great coaches,” said Parker, who had another second-year cornerback make All-Pro last season in Quinyon Mitchell. “When you’re around talented individuals that love the game like you do and they’re willing to put in that work, there’s definitely a happy marriage there when it comes to player development.”

Parker will be the fourth Dallas defensive coordinator in the past four seasons. Under Eberflus, the Cowboys gave up the most points (511) with the fewest interceptions (six) in franchise history.

Dallas had the worst passing defense in the NFL, while the Eagles had one of the league's best in both seasons with Parker. With Parker on staff, Philadelphia was the first repeat winner in the NFC East in 21 years and won the Super Bowl to cap the 2024 season.

The Cowboys were plagued by blown assignments because they struggled with the zone-heavy scheme of Eberflus. Parker brings a 3-4 approach while stressing multiple looks, and speaks of zone and man-to-man coverages as interchangeable.

Parker will be in charge of an NFL defense just seven years after entering the league as a quality control coach with the Packers. He spent six seasons in the college ranks.

“I’m ready,” Parker said without elaborating when asked if he was ready for his newest role.

Asked to elaborate, he said, “I think confidence comes from preparation, and I think that I’ve been able to learn from the right people. I think as you kind of get involved with different people you kind of form your own identity so when you have that opportunity you know what you’re going to do, and I’ve gone through that process internally for a great deal of my career. So I’ve prepared as much as I possibly can for this moment.”

The Cowboys have six new assistants under Parker in Derrick Ansley (passing game coordinator), Marcus Dixon (defensive line), Robert Muschamp (assistant secondary), Ryan Smith (cornerbacks), Scott Symons (inside linebackers) and Chidera Uzo-Diribe (outside linebackers).

Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams tops the list of impact players returning to the Dallas defense in 2026, and cornerback DaRon Bland could be another one if he can shake the foot issues that have shortened both seasons since he set an NFL record by returning five interceptions for touchdowns.

The Cowboys are curious to see what linebacker DeMarvion Overshown can bring if he stays healthy all year for the first time in his fourth season, and Dallas drafted an injured Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round last year believing he could thrive in man-to-man coverage.

Dallas has two first-round picks, one of them from the trade that sent star pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay a week before the opener last season. With the Cowboys expecting the key parts back from one of the league's best offenses, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, defense will be the talk of their draft.

“You have schematic fits, but I think the really good players are the ones you can’t peg them into a certain scheme and that’s the only way they can play football,” Parker said. “You want to have guys that whatever scheme they are in, they can be significant contributors, and then you want to highlight it around those strengths.”

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