FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott said Thursday that it is not fair to compare the Dallas Cowboys defense to last season’s unit, three days before defensive coordinator Christian Parker calls his first regular-season game against the New York Giants.
Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. Dallas allowed 511 points in 2025, the most in the NFL and the first time a Cowboys defense had given up 500. Prescott said the defense has made practice hard on the offense throughout training camp.
“It don’t really truly affect how I play the position overall,” Prescott said. “I’ve got to be smart with the ball and not put our team in any harm’s way. But ultimately, this is a new team, it’s a new identity. I guess once Sunday comes, they can put last year and all the comparisons behind, but you just look at the personality of that defense from a different play caller to the personnel is different.”
“And just the way they attack and what they’ve been doing just throughout training camp and practice making it hard on us, I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to compare them to last year’s defense or for them to be battling that stigma,” Prescott continued. “They have their own identity, and I’m excited for them to show it this Sunday.”
Jerry Jones, Klayton Adams On The Rebuilt Dallas Cowboys Defense
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Friday that Dallas is going to have a better defense than last season. Jones made the comments on the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan, and he asked for patience with the new unit.
“Let’s spare the snap judgment, because I’m not sure that’s going to give you the initial feel whether it’s good or bad,” Jones said. “This thing is going to be in process is the best way to say it. It’s play by play. We’re going to have some times when we’d like for it to bend better. But in general, I can assure you, we’re going to have a better defense than we had last year.”
Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said Thursday that his offense walked off the practice field some days in camp knowing it had not been very good. He called the rebuilt defense “a great training partner.”
“I’m very invested in their success, obviously,” Adams said. “And it’s been great. I always think that to be great, it’s a little bit like having a great training partner, somebody that can hit the ball back across the net at you. And it’s been really good for us in training camp to be challenged by them and to have some days where we’re walking back in going, man, that wasn’t very good. And then also, you have enough respect for those guys that when you do have a good day, you feel a little bit better about it.”
Christian Parker’s First Dallas Cowboys Defense
Dallas fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after one season and hired Parker on Jan. 22, after two seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles’ passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Parker is 34.
The Cowboys traded for edge rusher Rashan Gary in March and signed Von Miller, who has 138.5 career sacks. In April, they drafted safety Caleb Downs 11th overall and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence 23rd. Defensive tackles Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, both acquired in trades, were voted team captains along with Prescott and kicker Brandon Aubrey.
Jones said this week that Dallas had changed more of its defense than in any year since 1989, his first season as owner. Last season, the Cowboys allowed 2,133 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns at 4.7 yards per carry.
New York’s offense is led by second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, who threw for 2,272 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns as a rookie. The Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 in overtime in Week 2 last season and lost the finale at MetLife, 34-17.
