Amid the excitement around the revamps Dallas Cowboys defense, with No. 11 overall pick Caleb Downs in place, new pass rusher Rashan Gary on the roster, $33 million signing Jalen Thompson at safety and a group that figures to have at least five–and as many as seven–new starters, it’s easy to forget just how far this defense has to go. new defensive coordinator Christian Parker has brought such excitement to The Star that it is easy to kick back and imagine that the 2026 Cowboys are about to become the ’85 Bears.
But of course, we should temper our expectations a bit. The Cowboys were the worst team in the NFL when it came to giving up points last season, at 511, which happened to be a franchise record for ineptitude in that category. They were rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 28 defense in the NFL overall.
While that means a change of personnel is obviously a big positive, it should be remembered, too, that bringing in new players who have not worked with each other before is going to lead to some awkwardness and a steeper learning curve. Parker himself seems eager to remind backers of the Cowboys of this fact.
Christian Parker: Cowboys Defense in ‘Undergraduate’ Phase
Speaking with Tommy Yarrish of the team’s website this week, Parker pointed out that the Cowboys are undergoing a complete overhaul, and that is going to take some time–and some growing pains. He brought in a collegiate analogy–the team’s players are still bumbling freshmen at this point.
“We’re still in the undergraduate phase,” Parker said. “We were in phase two, I was like, ‘We’re trying to figure out if the meal card works, where can I park for 15 minutes without getting towed,’ all those things. Now, we’re still in the freshmen and one-on-one level. We’re starting to get to sophomore year, if you will. And then during training camp, we need to quickly be able to graduate with a master’s degree in a five-year program. That’s how we see the urgency.”
Cowboys Strength in the Front
That’s the nice prospect for Cowboys fans–yes, it’s rudimentary now but there are responsibilities being put onto this group, and three months from now, the expectation is they’ll be ready. It will be a group with a strength in the middle on the defensive line, and on the back line with the safeties and (if healthy, knock on wood) the cornerbacks.
Parker is excited about the strength of the team up the middle, where stars Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark will anchor the proceedings.
“Really excited about them,” Parker said. “I think we have guys with demonstrated ability to play high level football in the National Football League. I was with Kenny when I was a quality control coach in Green Bay. I know how he conducts himself. We played in this system, which is better for him. Quinnen, same thing. He played in the system at Alabama. They’re both mature. They both work hard. There’s no job or drill too small for them. They want to get developed.”
Christian Parker Just Needs Time
It’s in the middle, with the pass-rushers and the linebackers, that there remain questions about the Cowboys’ talent level and depth.
But Parker said that the Cowboys should have enough, if the team can rely on players to keep improving. It’s still early, though. Parker said the group need more reps to learn how to work off of each other.
Said Parker: “So that’s time. It’s never going to show up in week one. It’s never going to show up in OTAs. That takes reps, that takes time, that takes walkthrough, that takes players watching film together, on their own, that takes them doing it in the meeting room and us just continually trying to improve every single day so it’s 1% better in that process.”
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