Christian Parker is giving Cowboys' defense a makeover. What will that mean for the NFL Draft?
"You can't go wrong taking big, long, athletic guys," one Dallas evaluator said. "That's what we want to get back to."
When Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Brian Schottenheimer logged onto a Zoom meeting in January, they were, Schottenheimer admits, tired. The Dallas Cowboys brass had already interviewed eight defensive coordinator candidates in short order. Energy was fading as they prepared to meet candidate No.
9. Then a candidate 21 years younger than any of the Cowboys’ last three coordinators presented his vision. Christian Parker knew how and when he wanted to coach cornerbacks on the nuances of press coverage and how today’s corner can integrate safety and linebacker responsibilities.
Parker knew how and when he wanted to feature five-man fronts to smother quarterbacks, and he understood the nuances of third-down responsibilities from his most recent responsibilities as Eagles defensive pass game coordinator. And Parker wasn’t afraid to shake up a Cowboys scheme and personnel group that has rooted its identity in a 4-3 base (four defensive linemen, three linebackers) for the last 13 seasons. “Whenever you form a defensive structure, it’s about the players that you have,” Parker said at his introductory news conference.
“So core principles, we’ll be a 3-4 by nature. But 4-3 spacing will be appropriate — 4-2-5 in nickel. Different front structures, coverages behind it.
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