Following a disappointing season where they surrendered the most points in franchise history, the Dallas Cowboys have overhauled their defensive coaching staff, hiring new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. In an effort to support this transition, the front office should aggressively pursue new personnel to match the vision of the coaching staff’s new scheme. Whether through free agency, trades, or the draft, the team should look to make the necessary investments so this new staff has a chance
to succeed.
To get a sense of what’s to come, it’s always good to look at what’s happened before. Today, we thought we’d take a deep dive into the personnel in each of the first seasons of the last five defensive coordinators. What did the front office do to help them? Did they stock enough groceries in the fridge?
2014 – Rod Marinelli
Following the departure of high-priced veterans, the Cowboys looked to the 2014 NFL Draft and strategic trades to rebuild their front seven. A costly injury to their biggest defensive star forced them to be reactive and go get help.
Key defensive losses:
- DeMarcus Ware (DE): The franchise’s all-time sack leader was released in March 2014 to save $7.4 million in cap space after he refused a pay cut.
- Sean Lee (LB): While not a roster “loss” in terms of transactions, the defense suffered a massive blow when Lee tore his ACL during organized team activities in May, missing the entire 2014 season.
- Jason Hatcher (DT): After a career-best 11-sack season in 2013, Hatcher signed a multi-year deal with rival Washington.
Key defensive acquisitions:
- Rolando McClain (LB): Acquired via trade from the Ravens in July. He became a surprise success stepping in to lead the defense after the team lost Lee for the year.
- DeMarcus Lawrence (DE): The team traded up to acquire him 34th overall to fill the void left after the departure of that other DeMarcus fella.
- Jeremy Mincey (DE): Signed as an unrestricted free agent from Denver. He led the team with six sacks and 39 pressures in 2014, adding veteran leadership in the trenches.
- Henry Melton (DT): The team’s biggest free agent signing on paper, he replaced Jason Hatcher. Despite coming off an ACL injury, he recorded five sacks before a late-season knee injury ended his year.
- Terrell McClain (DT): Signed to a three-year deal, giving the team a stronger interior presence.
- Anthony Hitchens (LB): A fourth-round draft pick who provided immediate versatility and depth, ended up starting 11 games due to various injuries in the linebacker corps.
One might think that Marinelli was dealt a bad hand after losing both Ware and Lee, but the Cowboys responded nicely. Good drafting and a key trade helped hold their head above water. Free agency spending was minimal.
2020 – Mike Nolan
The Cowboys focused heavily on the defensive line in free agency, spending way more money than they normally do. Sadly, most of these signings flopped, leaving them undermanned and surrendering the most points allowed in franchise history (at the time).
Key defensive losses:
- Robert Quinn (DE): After leading the team with 11.5 sacks in 2019, he was allowed to walk, signing a five-year, $70 million deal with Chicago.
- Byron Jones (CB): The team wasn’t sold on his skills, opening the door for him to sign a massive five-year, $82.5 million contract with Miami.
- Maliek Collins (DT): A consistent interior starter, he followed former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli to Las Vegas.
- Michael Bennett (DE): A mid-season rental from 2019 who didn’t return.
Key defensive acquisitions:
- Gerald McCoy (DT): A six-time Pro Bowler signed to a three-year deal to provide interior pass rush. However, he suffered a season-ending injury in training camp and was released shortly after.
- Dontari Poe (DT): Signed to bolster the run defense. He started seven games before being released mid-season due to performance and conditioning concerns.
- Aldon Smith (DE): Signed after a four-year absence from the NFL. He became a major hit early in the season, recording four sacks in his first three games.
- Everson Griffin (DE): A late-offseason addition from the Vikings to improve the edge rush. He was traded to the Lions mid-season.
- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (S): Reunited with McCarthy on a one-year deal, but was surprisingly released before the regular season began.
- Trevon Diggs (CB): A second-round draft pick who started slow but showed more promise as the season progressed.
Everything was dreadful for Nolan, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying from the front office. The team opened their wallets more than normal to add several defensive linemen, but most were old and past their prime. They were thrown a curveball in the draft that had them using their top draft resource on CeeDee Lamb instead of one of college’s best defenders, but they did swing back around on Day 2 and picked up two rookie defenders (Diggs and Neville Gallimore).
2021 – Dan Quinn
The Cowboys used their first six draft picks on defensive players for the first time in franchise history and brought in several former Quinn-guys to help implement his scheme. That’s a commitment to change!
Key defensive losses:
- Chidobe Awuzie (CB): A former second-round pick, Awuzie signed a three-year contract with Cincinnati.
- Xavier Woods (S): The starting free safety for the previous three seasons signed a one-year deal with Minnesota.
- Aldon Smith (DE): After a successful comeback in 2020, the Cowboys opted not to re-sign Smith, who eventually signed with Seattle.
- Jaylon Smith (LB): While not an offseason loss, the former Pro Bowler was released mid-season as the team prioritized Parsons’ snaps and Jabril Cox’s development.
Key defensive acquisitions:
- Micah Parsons (DE): Selected 12th overall, Parsons quickly became the hands-down steal of the draft. He went on to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and became a first-team All-Pro, transforming into an elite pass rusher.
- Jayron Kearse (S): Initially signed to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal, Kearse became one of the biggest value-signings of the offseason, leading the team in tackles and providing some added pop.
- Keanu Neal (LB/S): A former Pro Bowler under Quinn in Atlanta, Neal transitioned from safety to a hybrid linebacker role, adding more speed to the second level.
- Damontae Kazee (S): Another former Falcon who played under Quinn. He served as the primary free safety, helping to stabilize the secondary.
- Osa Odighizuwa (DT): A third-round pick who provided immediate interior disruption, starting several games due to injuries and leading all rookie defensive tackles in pressures during the first half of the season.
- Tarell Basham (DE): Signed from the Jets to provide veteran depth behind Lawrence and Randy Gregory, recording 3.5 sacks in a rotational role.
Quinn clearly hit the ground running, largely in scoring Parsons in the draft, but the team also had a long list of contributors that season. It didn’t come from an abundance of free agent spending, but rather a careful collection of low-cost Quinn-guys. The draft was the big winner, though. Both Parsons and Odighizuwa help the defense right away.
2024 – Mike Zimmer
The Cowboys prioritized veteran familiarity with new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s scheme while enduring several high-profile departures along the defensive line and in the secondary.
Key defensive losses:
- Dorance Armstrong (DE): A consistent pass rusher who followed former coordinator Quinn to Washington.
- Dante Fowler (DE): Another productive rotational edge rusher who also signed with Washington.
- Stephon Gilmore (CB): The veteran cornerback, who started 17 games in 2023, eventually signed with Minnesota after hitting free agency.
- Johnathan Hankins (DT): A key piece of the interior run defense who signed with Seattle.
- Leighton Vander Esch (LB): A long-time defensive anchor, Vander Esch retired in 2024 following recurring neck injuries.
- Jayron Kearse (S): The veteran safety and defensive leader was not re-signed.
Key defensive acquisitions:
- Eric Kendricks (LB): After initially committing to the 49ers, Kendricks called an audible to sign a one-year deal with Dallas. A former Pro Bowler under Zimmer in Minnesota, he was brought in to stabilize a decimated linebacker group.
- Linval Joseph (DT): Signed during training camp to bolster the run defense, Joseph reunited with Zimmer after six successful seasons together in Minnesota.
- Jordan Phillips (DT): Acquired via a late-offseason trade with the New York Giants to provide interior depth. He never gained traction and was released in November.
- DeMarvion Overshown (LB): Technically a new acquisition in 2023, but he never played a regular-season game his rookie year due to suffering a preseason knee injury, delaying his debut until 2024. Sadly, it was also cut short due to injury.
- Marshawn Kneeland (DE): Drafted in the second round (56th overall), Kneeland was viewed as a direct replacement for departing edge rushers and an immediate contributor to the run defense.
- Marist Liufau (LB): Selected in the third round, Liufau added much-needed youth and athleticism to the linebacker room.
It was almost a wash for Zimmer as the gains and losses balanced out. The Cowboys used two of their top three draft resources on offense, so that didn’t help, but the biggest issue for him was health, as the defense was decimated with injuries.
2025 – Matt Eberflus
The Cowboys lost their top two edge rushers, including a shocking trade that shipped off a cornerstone defender. A midseason trade added some strength in the middle, but it was a year-long struggle for the defense.
Key defensive losses:
- Micah Parsons (DE/LB): In one of the wildest trades in franchise history, Parsons was dealt to Green Bay for DT Kenny Clark and two first-round picks following a prolonged contract holdout.
- DeMarcus Lawrence (DE): A longtime Cowboys leader, Lawrence signed with Seattle in free agency, ending an 11-season tenure in Dallas.
- Jourdan Lewis (CB): The team’s veteran slot corner signed with Jacksonville, leaving a void in the secondary that the Cowboys struggled to fill.
- Marshawn Kneeland (DE): Shockingly, the young defensive lineman passed away midway through the season, leaving Cowboys Nation heartbroken.
Key defensive acquisitions:
- Quinnen Williams (DT): Acquired from the Jets at the November trade deadline to anchor the interior run defense.
- Kenny Clark (DT): Joined Dallas as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Parsons to Green Bay.
- Logan Wilson (LB): Acquired via trade from the Bengals at the deadline to provide much-needed veteran stability at linebacker.
- Kenneth Murray Jr. (LB): Acquired in a trade with the Titans during the initial 2025 free agency period to replace departing veterans.
- Dante Fowler Jr. (DE): Re-signed on a one-year deal to rejoin Dallas for a third stint, providing rotational pass-rush depth.
- Solomon Thomas (DT): Signed a two-year contract as a veteran depth piece for the interior line.
- Donovan Ezeiruaku (DE): A second-round pick has a promising start to his rookie season before fading a bit late.
- Shavon Revel Jr. (CB): A third-round pick who slid in the draft due to an ACL injury, eventually got on the field, but it was filled with plenty of rookie growing pains.
Last season, the loss of Parsons and Tank was substantial, and even not having Lewis and Kendricks stung a bit. The Cowboys threw the kitchen sink at fixing the defense. The new faces were plentiful, but very few players had any impact.
What does all of this tell us?
The Cowboys’ front office does make a concerted effort to buy some extra groceries for their new defensive coordinator. It never comes in the form of lucrative free agent spending, but some years they are more active than others. And the players that work out for them always seem to be a surprise. Did anyone expect the trade for Rolando McClain to work out? Who would have guessed that giving Aldon Smith another shot would produce dividends? And despite Micah Parsons being a high draft pick, he took the league by storm.
Additionally, the years they spent the most on defensive free agents (2020 and 2025) are their worst defensive years in team history. Of course, much of the blame for those seasons falls on a coaching staff that had their players running amok. Getting pricy guys isn’t the answer. Getting the right type of players who fit with what the new coordinator is trying to do will give them the best results.
What does this mean for the Parker-led defense?
More of the same. Low-cost free agents will be on their shopping list, but expect them to snag a few who played for one of the many new coaches on the staff. To fix the defense, it will take better talent, but it will also take guys who can confidently follow the scheme of the new defense. And speaking of better talent, those two first-round draft picks will clearly be the most critical dancing chips for the new staff. Between a couple of high-upside youngsters and a handful of low-cost veteran free agents, Parker and his staff should have something to work with.
