FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker said Thursday that the New York Giants offense under coordinator Matt Nagy and senior offensive consultant Greg Roman looks very different on the surface but shares a lot underneath, three days before Parker calls his first regular-season game against it.
Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. Parker spent the last two seasons in the NFC East as the Philadelphia Eagles’ passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
The Chiefs pivoted to heavy personnel groupings to unlock some of their players, the same way the Ravens did, Parker said.
“I think on the surface they’re very different, but when you really dive into it, there are a lot of similarities in terms of what they’ve both done in the past, whether it be the run game, the pass game, use of motion, use of personnel,” Parker said. “Obviously, I think in Lamar’s MVP year a couple years ago, the Ravens were top of the league in 13 personnel. A couple years later, the Chiefs were the same, kind of pivoted that way to unlock some of their people.
“So there’s a lot of things they have that are similar,” Parker continued. “How they’re going to call it and prepare, that’s not really something that we’d be privy to. But I do think that they have a lot of similarities, and they’re going to have a sound plan for the game.”
Matt Nagy And Greg Roman On The Giants’ Offensive Staff
The Giants hired Nagy as offensive coordinator after four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was the Chicago Bears’ head coach from 2018 through 2021. Roman was John Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens from 2019 through 2022, when Lamar Jackson won his first MVP award, and spent the last two seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator.
Before that, he was Jim Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through 2014. The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll reported in February that the Giants were adding Roman to the offensive staff. Los Angeles Chargers On SI described the role as senior offensive consultant.
Christian Parker on Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, and the Giants
Dallas has been geared toward a plan to neutralize what the Giants do best, Parker said.
“It’s always about what we do,” Parker explained. “We always take that approach. The opponent is always in the room. But I do think that they have a lot of good personnel. They have a good scheme. The quarterback can create plays. They want to run the ball. They have a physical line. They have good blocking tight ends, fullbacks, all the like. And then obviously they have a significant receiver with Nabers and some of their other personnel.
“So we’ve been geared up towards having a plan to neutralize what they do best and just play hard and fast,” Parker added. “It’s game one, so it’s a lot of unexpected things. So we’ve got to stick to what we do well and handle it in game.”
Jaxson Dart, the 25th overall pick in 2025, is the Giants’ quarterback. Receiver Malik Nabers tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee last Sept. 28 and has been a full participant in practice this week. Two weeks before that injury, he caught nine passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas. Odell Beckham Jr. is back with the Giants.
New York went 4-13 last season and scored 381 points. Harbaugh was hired Jan. 20, two days before Dallas hired Parker. Brian Callahan is the Giants’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, according to Giants.com. Dennard Wilson is the defensive coordinator, and Chris Horton is the special teams coordinator.
Certain combinations of personnel can tilt the scales in a direction, Parker said.
“I think the main thing is, is what do they do and who are those people?” Parker said of heavy personnel groupings. “I think that’s with any team. What people and what combination of people are going to tilt the scales in a direction? And does that guide you to a certain grouping or play call in general? So I think you kind of take that for what it is.
“Game one, that adds to the unknown that we talked about earlier,” Parker noted. “So we’re just trying to make sure I get the personnel in quick, get the call in quick. It might not always be the perfect matchup, but as long as we can play fast and we have confidence.”
Dallas beat the Giants 40-37 at AT&T Stadium in Week 2 last season and lost 34-17 at MetLife in the Jan. 4 finale. The Cowboys allowed 511 points in 2025, the most in the NFL.
