OXNARD, Calif. 鈥� Let's paint this picture of what exactly is taking place out here in training camp with the Cowboys' transformative defense.
And this is not just about the additions and subtractions of players, but more so about how the Cowboys have renovated their defensive coaching staff from last year's version, starting with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, their fourth in a four鈥憏ear span.
And this is not all, but nearly so, about the 34鈥憏ear鈥憃ld, first鈥憈ime DC. It鈥檚 about his assistants, from former SMU defensive coordinator Scott Symons, now the Cowboys linebackers coach, to former Packers pass鈥慻ame coordinator and Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley, now the Cowboys defensive backs and pass鈥慻ame coordinator, to former Rams, Broncos and Vikings defensive line coach 鈥� and former Cowboys practice鈥憇quad defensive lineman (2008鈥�09) 鈥� Marcus Dixon, now the Cowboys defensive line coach.
OK, we start with Parker, in his eighth year as an NFL assistant, last with the Eagles as DBs and pass鈥慻ame coordinator the past two seasons. He isn't a walk鈥慳round, figure鈥慼ead coordinator with his arms crossed. He gets his hands dirty during practices.
One minute he pulls first鈥憆ound draft choice Caleb Downs off to the side during individual drills, explaining the steps in zone coverage he needs to make. The next he's over with the defensive backs, his proclaimed specialty, pulling aside second鈥憏ear corner Shavon Revel after his tight coverage on a deep ball to George Pickens was beaten over the top, showing the youngster how he must turn to look up for the ball.
Before you know it, Parker is over with the linebackers 鈥� Jaishawn Barham in particular this time 鈥� giving him a step鈥慴y鈥憇tep demonstration on how to maintain leverage in zone coverage when passing one receiver off to cover the next crossing his face.
Mighty detailed.
Then there is Symons, and OK, I'll say it, maybe the most knowledgeable linebackers coach the Cowboys have had in quite some time. The guy is teaching during individual drills on every rep, no matter if it's veteran Dee Winters or youngin' Shemar James. And look, when the drill becomes linebackers hitting the two鈥憁an blocking sled, there's no assistant linebacker coach riding on the sled. Symons is riding high in the middle, barking out encouragement or corrections each and every time.
"I think everybody has their personal style, so I think that's how Scott has been," Parker says. "And I think you will see them split up. He trusts JJ (Clark, assistant LB coach and only defensive staff holdover) to go with a separate drill. We'll script that out in individual. But I think all these guys came in the door with that level of confidence, with the level of emphasis on how we want to teach."
Get the idea teaching is a high priority, doing drills we're not used to seeing not only here in training camp but going back to OTAs and minicamp workouts, too. Somewhat new.
You get the idea, right? All up and down this staff, preaching Parker's words, his fundamentals, techniques and most of all high鈥憀evel communication. Think not? Let Dak clue you in on this communication.
"When we motion, we can hear how loud they are," the QB says of the defensive call adjustments being made.
Or this, back from the Cowboys offseason practice former players attended 鈥� not just watching practice but sitting in on meetings 鈥� should鈥慴e Hall of Fame safety Darren Woodson explaining to me how the players were barking out assignments to whatever play was on the video screen, knowing their detailed assignments, young or old.
"We would have made him talk, too," Parker says with a knowing grin, realizing he was born in 1991, the same year the Cowboys spent a second鈥憆ound draft choice on Woody, who retired at the end of the 2004 season when Parker had just turned 13.
Now look, the Cowboys defense won't face another team in practice until Tuesday, when they meet up with the Los Angeles Rams in a scrimmage. And not just any offense, mind you, but the only one in 2025 to put up more total yards than the Cowboys offense 鈥� by just 46 yards 鈥� and the only one to put up more passing yards than the Cowboys, by just 30 yards.
This will not be tackle football Tuesday at the Rams' Woodland Hills facility, just thumping up the ball carrier and hands off the QBs. That, though, will take place next Saturday when meeting the Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Seattle for the first preseason game, although many if not all the starters won't be in pads.
No matter. Parker expects his second line, third line, heck, guys on the border of even making the practice squad, to know what they are doing. Such a welcomed change from last year's epically bad defense, when too many times assignments were not sound and communication was lost.
"I think that's what we were looking for, and as coaches, that is our No. 1 job," Parker told me of teaching and communicating. "It doesn't matter how much we know. It's about how much our players know. However you can deliver that information and be detailed in the approach, step by step. They want to know the why. They also want to know the intent. They also want to know the negative part to what you're telling them, too.
"Not every call, every technique, every fundamental is going to be perfect. So I think we hired guys who came in the door with those skills, and we emphasize that enough that everybody is walking through the same way."
And face it, when putting together a staff, the team, the head coach, the coordinator does not have carte blanche to hire whomever they want. First the candidate must be available. Next, there might need to be a promotion to switch teams. Then there is money involved, too. And in Parker's case, he was looking for a measure of familiarity with the guys he hired.
To express all that, toward the end of his 17鈥憁inute podium interview, Parker barked off each of his assistants' bios 鈥� where they were, where they came from and any connections he might have had with them. All of them now, from top assistants like Ansley and Symons all the way down to Robert Muschamp, assistant secondary coach who had been no more than a three鈥憏ear quality control coach with the Chargers.
Mighty impressive.
And don't think when you hear from a press conference this somewhat mild鈥憁annered Parker speak 鈥� somewhat soft鈥憇poken but with measured thoughts yet gurgling with excitement 鈥� that he's some kind of softie out there. Oh contraire.
"Trash talks every day, every day. He is a competitive guy," CeeDee Lamb says. "We go head鈥憈o鈥慼ead every day. Sometimes I initiate it, not like I'm innocent."
Truth being, he's not.
Unlike the past two Cowboys defensive coordinators, Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus, those veteran DCs were sort of renting the job. Parker? At 34, this has been his lifetime dream. He even caught himself when referring to his "young assistants," smiling to inject, "young like me."
"No. 1, to be a great defensive coordinator you have to have confidence and swagger, and that's two things he has, man," eighth鈥憏ear veteran edge Rashan Gary says. "And the players now have to back up his swagger and his confidence."
If indications mean anything so far in training camp, between upgraded defensive personnel and this renovated coaching staff, all signs point to improvement over last year's 30th鈥憆anked total defense, dead鈥憀ast pass defense, dead鈥憀ast opponent points and a team with the 29th鈥憆anked turnover differential, mostly because of finishing with just 12 takeaways 鈥� second fewest in franchise history to only the 11 in 2015.
Teaching and communicating. You can't have enough of either.
"I think if you step in our meeting room and you hear how loud it is, you might think something wrong is going on," Parker says. "And that's a good thing. Guys are understanding what needs to be said. And I think communication is two parts, right? It's giving and receiving. So I can't just be aimlessly yelling and saying a bunch of things if I don't know who I'm talking to, what those words mean, how that changes things, when we can adjust something, when we can't.
"So I think they're taking that next step in terms of who am I speaking to. And also, if I'm receiving that communication, I've got to make sure my ears are open and I need to know who I'm listening for. But they're definitely taking that to heart. We still have more to go, but there are a lot of encouraging things happening from a vocal standpoint."
And if nothing else, that's a great start in rehabbing this defense.
