The Cowboys are hiring Eagles secondary coach and passing game coordinator Christian Parker as their next defensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The two sides agreed to a deal on Thursday afternoon, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Parker, 34, has spent the last two years in Philadelphia coaching a strong secondary featuring ascending cornerback duo Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. In 2024, the Eagles were the NFL’s best passing defense, and though they were not quite as dominant this season, they ranked eighth in yards and seventh in yards per attempt while allowing the fewest touchdowns. The Cowboys, in contrast, ranked 32nd in the first two categories and 31st in the third, which was one of the primary factors in firing their last defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus.
Parker’s arrival in Dallas completes an impressive ascension from Division II defensive assistant to NFL defensive coordinator. He began his coaching career in 2014 as a defensive backs coach at Virginia State and moved up to the same job at FCS Norfolk State in 2016. His first job with a major program came at Notre Dame as a defensive analyst in 2017; the following year, he took the same position at Texas A&M.
Having beefed up his college resume, Parker made the jump into the NFL as a defensive quality control coach under then-Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. (A stunning amount of former Pettine assistants are landing head coach and coordinator jobs this cycle.) He then moved to Denver where he played a key role in the development of future Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain.
In Dallas, Parker will be tasked with reforming one of the NFL’s worst defense from last season. Their stunning decision to trade Micah Parsons to the Packers did not just demolish the Cowboys’ pass rush, it severely hinder their run defense, too. Part of the return from that deal was Kenny Clark, who did not make a consistent impact. The same is true of Quinnen Williams after he arrived at the trade deadline. The team also parted ways with Trevon Diggs at the end of the season and needs to revamp their secondary, which was likely a major motivator in bringing in Parker.