The Dallas Cowboys will face plenty of important decisions this offseason. Dallas' first big task was finding a new defensive coordinator after firing Matt Eberflus following the regular season. It appears that the Cowboys have finally found his replacement from one of their division rivals.
The Cowboys are working to hire Christian Parker as their next defensive coordinator, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Parker spent the last two seasons as the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Eagles. Now he will get his first defensive coordinator job and stay in the NFC East.
Parker apparently had a “very impressive” in-person interview with the Cowboys on Wednesday, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
The 34-year-old coach is one of the league's rising stars. Parker got his first NFL gig back in 2019, joining the Packers ars a defensive quality control coach.
He spent two seasons in that role before joining the Broncos as a defensive backs coach from 2021-23. Then Parker spent the past two seasons in his role with the Eagles.
Dallas is clearly excited about Parker's future in the NFL and seemingly believe he can make an immediate impact. That is exactly what the Cowboys need headed into 2026.
It was common knowledge around the NFL that Dallas had the worst defense in the league in 2025. The Cowboys allowed a whopping 30.1 points per game, which ranked last in the NFL. They also ranked towards the bottom of the league is several other defensive stats and advanced metrics.
Perhaps most unsettling was the team's inability to rattle opposing quarterbacks. Which looked ever worse after the decision to trade Micah Parsons to the Packers. As a result, many NFL draft analysts have begun pairing the Cowboys with edge rushers in early mock drafts.
It will be fascinating to see what kind of changes Parker makes to Dallas' defense.
