October 23, 2026
Kirby Lee/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
So far, former Eagles defensive assistant Christian Parker is the latest in a long line of Cowboys DC who haven't been able to improve the Dallas defense.
After years of cycling through veteran defensive coordinators only to see the same, sorry breakdowns and lapses until finally hitting rock bottom last year, the Cowboys took an alternate route in 2026.
They pried a young, Super Bowl champion assistant under Vic Fangio away from their division rivals when they hired Eagles pass game coordinator and DBs coach Christian Parker to be their newest coordinator and play caller.
The Cowboys gambled on helping themselves for the present and future while hurting the Birds; Parker surely would have been a strong candidate to eventually succeed Fangio in Philly.
Then the Cowboys continued to reshape their defensive front, trading away interior pass rusher Osa Odighizuwa one year after trading away elite edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers and trading for Pro Bowl iDL Quinnen Williams from the Jets.
Then aimed to get younger and more athletic, using their two first-round picks on defense, including the 11th overall pick on hybrid safety Caleb Downs, who was considered one of the safest, most pro ready prospects coming out of college. The former Ohio State star fell out of the top 10 because of positional value more than talent.
All of these moves – plus a recent trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. – were intended to lift the Dallas defense out of its years-long doldrums and, coupled with an explosive offense, make the Cowboys a legit NFC East contender.
Six weeks into this season, the Cowboys are serious contenders for the division but only because the NFC East stinks on ice. The Cowboys are 2-4 and their overhauled Dallas defense still ranks among the NFL's worst.
Already, they have hired a senior defensive advisor to help Parker navigate through what's become a treacherous first season. Dallas has allowed the NFL's second-most yards and seventh-most points.
The Cowboys are especially hideous on third down, even when their opponents are in less manageable distances. They have the NFL's third-worst EPA per play on third down (+0.31) – positive EPA is bad for defense – and per pass (+0.35) on third down. They are also top-5 in worst EPA per play and pass on 3rd-and-long (7+ yards).
In their Week 6 game against Green Bay, all of the Packers' defensive issues were on display. The Packers had a negative play or no gain on each set of downs during their opening drive but still went 90 yards to pay dirt in their 23-13 win at Lambeau Field.
In the first half, the Packers faced third down 11 times, with an average distance to go of 6.3 yards. They converted 10 of those 11 – including one penalty, so officially 9 of 10 – with Jordan Love completing all seven of his passes. The Packers averaged 13 yards per third-down conversion.
That's madness.
Here's a look at every Green Bay third down in the first half Sunday night and how the Dallas defense fared:
| Down | Result |
| 3rd-and-5 | +15 pass |
| 3rd-and-13 | +27 pass |
| 3rd-and-13 | +14 pass |
| 3rd-and-6 | +9 TD |
| 3rd-and-8 | +10 pass |
| 3rd-and-5 | +13 run |
| 3rd-and-2 | +6 run |
| 3rd-and-2 | +0 run |
| 3rd-and-1 | +2 run |
| 3rd-and-8 | DPI |
| 3rd-and-6 | +21 pass |
Parker is trying to find answers, hoping to lean into his mentor's playbook to turn around the Dallas defense. But nothing appears to be working, even with personnel upgrades and with the recent hiring of Bucks County's Mike Pettine to help consult.
Downs was supposed to be a chess piece for the back end, with his Cooper DeJean-esque ability to move between safety and nickelback, but Downs hasn't yet performed like a rising star.
After Green Bay picked up just 5 total yards on the first two plays of its opening drive Sunday night, the Packers were in 3rd-and-5 with Downs matched up against Savion Williams in the slot.
This is where Downs' ability to defend on the inside was supposed to be an asset that helped Dallas improve from last season's train wreck, but it wasn't on this snap.
The five-man rush didn't hit home and Willams got right into Downs' hip pocket before breaking inside to separate at the top of the route for the first-down catch.
Per NFL Pro, Downs has allowed 16 receptions on 17 targets for a 149.6 passer rating against, the highest in the NFL for any DB with at least 17 targets. His teammate in the secondary, cornerback Daron Bland, has the NFL's second-worst coverage EPA at +28.6.
Downs was victimized again in the second quarter, on a 2nd-and-13 that turned into an easy 28-yard pitch-and-catch for Love and Christian Watson.
Downs was lined up across Watson and giving plenty of cushion as the Cowboys rushed 6 with one safety deep and appeared to be playing man coverage underneath. But Downs never challenged Watson, who easily created space on the crosser, with enough room to turn upfield for more yards.
The Eagles would love to get some of their best pass weapons isolated on Downs while he's struggling, but DeVonta Smith, Tay Wicks and Dallas Goedert each missed Thursday's practice and their availabilities for Monday night are uncertain.
The Birds are still banged up on the interior offensive line, too. Even the anticipated return of RB Saquon Barkley doesn't guarantee they'll be much more functional on offense.
Monday night's game will either be a get-right game for the Sean Mannion's offense or Parker's defense.
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