Shortly after the Dallas Cowboys played their last game of the 2025 NFL season, they took their first step toward putting the whole thing behind them. That move was the firing of defensive coordinator
Matt Eberflus. It was something they had to do or face a full-on fan rebellion.
The Cowboys defense was that bad. Franchise record type of bad. Eberflus was given a tough hand to start with after the trade of Micah Parsons, but he had no answers for how to improve anything as the season wore on. The offense must have felt like an orphan out there fighting all alone.
The coach the Cowboys hired for the job is 34-year-old Christian Parker, most recently of the Philadelphia Eagles as the defensive backs coach/passing-game coordinator. Parker comes from the Vic Fangio tree and much of that philosophy should follow Parker here to Dallas.
Before the hire, everyone wondered if Jerry Jones or Brian Schottenheimer would make the choice of a replacement. Given the type of coaches that were interviewed, the youth of Parker, and the fact that he had no former ties to the organization, most observers are firmly in the court that Schottenheimer was given wide latitude to bring in who he wanted.
Here at Blogging The Boys, we’ve discussed Parker from multiple angles. Check some of them out below if you haven’t read them yet. When you’re ready, hit our poll and grade the hire. Then drop some knowledge in the comments.
Working with the current roster
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