Christian Parker’s first season as an NFL defensive coordinator has produced the league’s worst total defense, a 3-5 record, and another round of questions about his future. He says the job has been no harder than he expected.
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“When you’re around different DCs, you’re on the staff, especially the positions I’ve had where you have a lot of responsibility, you get exposed to what those things are,” Parker said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Every job is going to have its challenges. Even if things were going better, there’s still going to be a level of difficulty because of the elevation of what you have to do. There are more hands in the pot, so to speak, in terms of what you have to manage and handle.
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“But, no, I wouldn’t say it’s more difficult than imagined. I would just say we’re continuing to work to try to get the results that we want.”
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Dallas allows 26.6 points per game (27th), a league-worst 385.4 yards per game, 152.8 rushing yards per game (32nd) and 5.03 yards per carry (31st). Arizona’s 33-30 overtime win on Nov. 1 added 467 yards and four straight scoring drives after Dallas led 24-10 in the fourth quarter.
The offseason was built to change that. Quinnen Williams signed a three-year, $105.9 million extension, Rashan Gary and Joey Porter Jr. arrived in trades, Von Miller and Jalen Thompson in free agency, and five of seven draft picks went to defense, including first-round safety Caleb Downs.
Parker is 34, the fourth coordinator in four seasons, running a new 3-4 front for a rebuilt defense. Dallas moved him from the sideline to the coaches’ booth after Week 5 and added Mike Pettine, his former boss in Green Bay, as a senior defensive assistant. Jerry Jones called questions about his job security “premature” last month.
Cowboys icon Dez Bryant wants a change in the coaching team
Cowboys icon Dez Bryant said Thursday that if the team keeps trending in the same direction, they may need a change. He specified that head coach Brian Schottenheimer could be replaced and named the Oklahoma Sooners‘ interim OC as the best match.
However, Jones has made it clear that he isn’t considering a head coaching change. The seat remains hot as the team struggles despite adding talent on both sides of the roster.
Dallas visits Indianapolis, 2-6 and rebuilding, on Sunday, and another defensive collapse would make the patience argument harder to repeat.
Edited by Aman Kashyap
