OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys opened training camp on Wednesday looking for significant improvement after fielding one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season.
Efforts to turn things around entered into a new phase for defensive coordinator Christian Parker and a revamped roster.
“Defense is flying around right now,” safety Jalen Thompson said. “Obviously, it’s first day, we had a couple mistakes, but flying around, CP getting us right in there.”
The Cowboys (7-9-1) were a mess on defense by any measure in coach Brian Schottenheimer’s first season, prompting the organization to replace coordinator Matt Eberflus with Parker from their NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
They ranked last in the league in points allowed (511), second-to-last in yards per play (6.1), and third-to-last in takeaways (12).
Those struggles were in stark contrast to one of best offenses in football, with the Cowboys averaging 27.7 points and 391.9 yards per game. With Schottenheimer dialing up the NFL’s No. 2 passing offense for quarterback Dak Prescott, Dallas went 6-1-1 when scoring at least 30 points.
“You know the whole offense is pretty much set,” said Thompson, who joined the Cowboys by signing a three-year, $33 million contract in free agency in March having spent the previous seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. “Now, it’s just time for the defense to get on board and communicate, do what we got to do in order to get that Super Bowl.”
While part of the hope for a turnaround rests with a reconfigured pass rush and secondary under the tutelage of Parker, who spent the past two seasons coaching defensive backs for the Eagles, standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams needs be the unit’s centerpiece to take significant steps forward.
Acquired from the New York Jets in November, Williams had 1 1/2 sacks, three tackles for loss and an interception in seven games for the Cowboys, and the 28-year-old expects to be much more productive having had a full offseason to integrate himself into the team.
Williams also wants to reach the playoffs for the first time, having never won more than seven games in his previous seven seasons with the Jets and Cowboys.
“As a competitor, man, I want to win it all,” said Williams, who has 41 1/2 sacks in 105 career games.
Given the importance of a disruptive interior lineman in the system Parker brought to Dallas, Williams wants to do for him what Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis have done for the Eagles, including helping them win the Super Bowl following the 2024 season.
“It’s just phenomenal to see, like, the impact that my position, defensive tackles, they’re making. Like you always see the team that’s in the Super Bowl has phenomenal D-tackles with Seattle and the Eagles and Kansas City a few years (ago), man, and those guys being effective and things like that. So that’s all I focus on, bringing an impact to this team, bringing impact to the defense, and trying to get this team going in the right direction, so another D-tackle can be in the Super Bowl soon,” Williams said.
If it results in a Carter-sized future payday for Williams, all the better.
Williams is under contract with the Cowboys through next season and in line for a sizable raise considering his peers’ new deals. Carter agreed to terms on a four-year extension including $106 million in guarantees on Tuesday, resetting the market again following the three-year extension Jeffery Simmons of the Tennessee Titans signed in June.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday that the organization has had conversations with Williams’ agent about an extension. While Williams expressed his interest in remaining with Dallas for the foreseeable future, he is choosing to let his representatives handle the process.
Williams’ immediate goal is to develop a defense capable of helping the Cowboys succeed.
“Everybody know we have a great offense, and it’s our job on defense to win championships because that’s the saying,” he said. “So, we got a long way to go from last year, and I’m just extremely focused on that and extremely dedicated to that.”
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