Blogging The Boys
After casting a wide search and interviewing several candidates, the Dallas Cowboys have their man. Dallas and the Philadelphia Eagles’ passing game coordinator/DBs coach Christian Parker have agreed on a contract that will make him the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator. The Cowboys had interviewed Denver’s Jim Leonhard and Minnesota’s Daronte Jones, among others, but Parker made enough of an impression to win the job.
Although only 34 years old, Parker comes over to the Cowboys as a highly-touted candidate who has helped launch the careers of many prominent NFL cornerbacks. Working under Vic Fangio has provided Parker a terrific mentor who has prepared him to take over the helm for the Cowboys’ defense. So far, fans online have been ecstatic about the hire and its implications for the defense. Yet, what about the players? What does Parker’s arrival mean for the personnel, and who benefits the most from his hiring? Here are the biggest winners from Parker taking over as defensive coordinator.
The first benefactor that comes to mind is Dak Prescott and the offensive unit. Because the defense was so porous last season, Prescott and the offense were forced into shootouts against subpar offensive talent. The New York Giants, with Russell Wilson at quarterback, who later disclosed he played with a torn hamstring, took the Cowboys to overtime and scored 37 points. The Cowboys also allowed 40 points three separate times, indicating that the defense was relying on Prescott to save them on practically every possession. Credit to Prescott for playing as well as he did last year, rivaling his All-Pro season in 2023, but he deserved better, as did the offense. Now entering his prime years, the Cowboys have to find a way to complement Prescott with a respectable defense.
With Parker in the picture, look for the defense to be much better at limiting big plays and allowing Prescott to play with less of a disadvantage. Parker comes to Dallas with a reputation as a communicator, namely in the secondary. Also, it’s important to note what having a disciple of Fangio in proximity can do to help Prescott better dissect his defenses. Despite throwing for over 350 yards in his last meeting against Fangio, Prescott has a 2-3 record against Fangio-led defenses, and Fangio has limited his overall effectiveness. Taking away a key component from your direct competition in the NFC East, and then using his knowledge against them, is a terrific added bonus of having one of the up-and-coming defensive minds in the league, which should only help a great quarterback like Prescott.
Hiring Parker is a great hire for so many reasons, but this may be the most important one. The Cowboys have a glaring weakness at cornerback. Whether it be because of injuries to DaRon Bland or Dallas realizing that it was better to move on from Trevon Diggs as soon as they could, it has left the cornerback position as Dallas biggest question mark heading into...
