FRISCO, Texas — Four or five Dallas Cowboys players went to three straight Jay-Z shows in New York with defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is 52, did not go.
Schottenheimer said Thursday that Parker’s age is part of why the rapport works.
Parker is 34. Schottenheimer said he and the players are into the same things, down to the shoes and the watches.
“I didn’t go to three nights straight at Jay-Z in New York City. He did. Four or five of our players were there,” Schottenheimer said. “I like Jay-Z, but I wasn’t at the concert. So I do think that the age, it does help. They’re into the same things. He’s got some really expensive shoes. He’s got some really expensive watches. And so are our players.”
Schottenheimer said he asked what the tickets cost and would not repeat the figure.
Christian Parker And The Cowboys’ Film Room
Rookie safety Caleb Downs was in Parker’s office Thursday morning with the door closed, watching film.
Corrections are the part where the relationship matters, Schottenheimer said. Players and coaches both tune people out when the buy-in is not there.
“I think it’s important when you’re communicating in the heat of the moment, the relationships matter,” Schottenheimer explained. “There’s a lot of times where you’re making a correction, and if you don’t have the relationship, if you don’t have the buy-in from the players at times, players, coaches, they do it as well, can tune you out. I don’t think there’s any chance of that happening because he’s built up the rapport with these guys.”
“But if you don’t have that, I think it hurts your ability to critique, coach, coach hard, call out,” Schottenheimer added. “Those are all things we do. If guys make a mistake, we call them out, and that’s part of our job. And that’s part of our job description. And they need to know you love them and care about them. And so if you don’t spend the time doing that, then to me, you’re missing an opportunity.”
What The Cowboys Heard Before Hiring Christian Parker
Schottenheimer had not been around Parker before the interview process. Dallas called players Parker coached in college and in the NFL, and Schottenheimer said they raved about his ability to communicate and relate.
Parker coached defensive backs at Virginia State, then in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers as a defensive quality control coach from 2019 to 2020 and the Denver Broncos as defensive backs coach from 2021 to 2023. He spent two seasons in Philadelphia as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean made the Pro Bowl in 2025 under Parker. In Denver he worked with Pat Surtain II and Justin Simmons.
Dallas traded up one spot with the Miami Dolphins to take Downs 11th overall in the 2026 draft. He wears No. 13.
The Cowboys open the regular season Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
