The Cowboys have found their fourth defensive coordinator in four years after concluding a search that was different from the previous ones. Now they’re hoping for a different result.
The Cowboys have agreed to a deal to make Eagles secondary coach Christian Parker their new defensive coordinator, multiple people familiar with the situation told The Dallas Morning News on Thursday. The hire puts an end to a search that was more extensive than recent Cowboys searches.
Parker will replace former Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who was fired after leading a disastrous Dallas defense this past season. The Cowboys allowed the most points they’ve ever allowed in a season in franchise history.
Source confirms the #Cowboys are working to hire Christian Parker as their new DC. Cowboys plan to pluck an up and coming defensive mind from their rivals — and in doing so, deviate distinctly from their previous model for DCs.
A first time DC heading to Dallas.
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) January 22, 2026
Cowboys
The Cowboys interviewed nine candidates at least once, starting their process with virtual interviews only. They then whittled their candidates to three in-person visits. The Cowboys also interviewed Minnesota defensive passing game coordinator Daronte Jones, former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon. Denver defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard interviewed virtually.
Their final interview ended up being their selection. The Cowboys interviewed Parker on Thursday.
Parker, 34, was with the Eagles the last two seasons. He helped lead a secondary that played a significant role in the team’s Super Bowl win last year. Parker spent three seasons in Denver as the team’s defensive backs coach before joining the Eagles. Vic Fangio, the current defensive coordinator of the Eagles, originally brought Parker to Denver before bringing him to the Eagles, as well.
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Parker’s expertise lies in the secondary. In Denver, he helped develop star cornerback Pat Surtain, who eventually won Defensive Player of the Year last year. In Philadelphia, he was tasked with helping to develop corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean — their first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Both played an integral role in the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run.
“I can say a lot of things about what he’s meant to me and [Mitchell], too,” DeJean told reporters about Parker. “We’ve had a routine of we go meet with [Parker] two or three times a week to go over the team we’re playing or go over different looks. I don’t think I’d be the player I am or have the success that I’ve had without him. He’s poured a lot into me and [Mitchell], too, ever since we got here. I appreciate him for that. Not everyone notices him and I don’t think he gets the recognition that I think he should.”
The Cowboys certainly recognized it.
Hiring Parker was the first step of what should be a significant overhaul for the Cowboys’ defense. From a personnel standpoint, the Cowboys have a lot of needs. Every part of their defense could either use an upgrade or depth outside of their interior defensive line, which is headlined by Osa Odighizuwa and last year’s trade acquisitions of Kenny Clark and reigning Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
The need for upgraded personnel makes sense, considering how much the Cowboys struggled last year. Dallas allowed over 30 points per game, marking the highest number allowed in the league. Their EPA (Expected Points Added) allowed per play was the worst in the NFL since 2020. Their six interceptions were the fewest they’ve had in franchise history.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said firing Eberflus after one season was not an easy move. He insinuated it wasn’t one he wanted to make, either, if the decision hadn’t been so obvious. Jones repeatedly said this season that continuity was an edge for a defense. Now, they have to start over.
From the beginning, this search was different from previous ones. Last year, the Cowboys announced the hiring of Eberflus shortly after they hired Brian Schottenheimer as head coach. They interviewed only two other candidates, including Andre Curtis, who was named the team’s defensive passing game coordinator under Eberflus this season.
Jones also made it known that a previous prerequisite for being the team’s defensive coordinator wouldn’t be the sole reason why they hired their new coordinator. The previous five defensive coordinators for the Cowboys were all former head coaches. Jones said after the season that he liked coaches who wanted to redeem themselves; coaches who had gone into a foxhole and climbed out of it. The lack of continuity since Dan Quinn left for Washington made Jones and the Cowboys want to consider other options. Jones was even open to hiring a candidate who had never been a defensive coordinator in the NFL before.
The Cowboys lived up to that, too. Gannon was the only person they interviewed who had previous head coaching experience. The number of candidates with defensive coordinator experience in the NFL wasn’t much longer. Parker, for example, has never been a defensive coordinator in the NFL.
The Cowboys went down a different path for this hire. Now, after hiring Parker, they hope they don’t have to go back down it for the fifth year in a row.
Twitter/X: @JoeJHoyt
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