FRISCO, Texas — One of six NFL executives polled by Mike Sando of The Athletic said Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker will help maximize what Dallas has on defense, in a preseason NFC ranking published Wednesday.
The executives ranked all 16 NFC teams under the condition of anonymity, and theCowboys finished fourth. The voter who ranked Dallas fifth in the conference had the Cowboys’ defense ahead of the Green Bay Packers‘ defense, according to Sando. For that voter, the secondary is still not a strength.
“I like the coordinator,” that voter said of Parker. “He is going to help maximize what they have. The secondary is still not a strength, but they have an impressive front seven.”
Dallas hired Parker away from the Philadelphia Eagles in January. He is 34 and had never called a defense in the NFL. He replaced Matt Eberflus, who was fired after one season, and is the fourth Cowboys defensive coordinator in four seasons.
Christian Parker’s Path To The Dallas Cowboys
Parker spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons as the Eagles’ passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach under Vic Fangio. Philadelphia finished eighth in passing yards allowed in 2025 and gave up 14 passing touchdowns, the fewest in the league, according to NFL.com. Dallas allowed 35 passing touchdowns that season, 31st in the league, and ranked 32nd in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed.
Before Philadelphia, Parker coached defensive backs for the Denver Broncos from 2021 to 2023 and worked as a defensive quality control coach for the Packers in 2019 and 2020. His college stops included Virginia State, Norfolk State, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer ran the coordinator search, which included more than 40 interviews, nine of them with coordinator candidates. Parker was the last of the nine.
During rookie minicamp in May, Parker said the defense would be a 3-4 by nature with 4-3 spacing and 4-2-5 nickel looks, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Parker also said the unit would not be called the Eagles’ defense or Fangio’s defense.
NFL Executives Split On The Dallas Cowboys’ New Coordinator
Sando wrote that no team is seeking greater variance on defense from last season than Dallas, which ranked 32nd in EPA per play on defense in 2025. One executive ranked the Cowboys second in the NFC on the theory that a first-time coordinator brings that variance.
“Anything is better than what they did last year on defense,” that voter told Sando. “They shocked the system by trading Micah Parsons, and I just think generally speaking, new coordinators on defense create variance.”
The voter who ranked Dallas eighth, the lowest vote the Cowboys received, said Quinnen Williams gives the front more girth.
“Quinnen Williams is good, and they have a little more girth up front, so it should be better, but they’ve got some unknowns there too with coaches and philosophy,” that voter said.
Williams made his fourth Pro Bowl last season after Dallas acquired him from the New York Jets in November. Kenny Clark came from Green Bay in the Aug. 28, 2025, trade that sent Micah Parsons to the Packers, and Caleb Downs was the No. 11 overall pick in April.
Three of the six executives placed Dallas in the Super Bowl contender tier. The other three listed the Cowboys as a division contender.
Parker’s first regular-season game as a play caller is Sunday, Sept. 13, at the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
