The Dallas Cowboys defense hit rock bottom in 2025. Luckily, they seem to have found the perfect person to guide the ‘D’ in Big D out of the abyss.
The Cowboys defense is on its way to mediocrity, which would be good enough to supplement their high-octane offense and make the playoffs, according to Ben Solak of ESPN.
Dallas finished 7-9-1 in 2025 and missed the playoffs, due to its porous defense. The Cowboys were last in the NFL in points-against per game (30.1) and passing-yards against per game (251.5) under since-fired DC Matt Eberflus.
The Cowboys hired Christian Parker as Eberflus’ replacement, and the former Philadelphia Eagles DBs coach has already gone to work in fixing the awful pass ‘D’ in Dallas.
Solak: The Cowboys Have the Talent to Fix Their Awful Pass ‘D’
GettyMatt Eberflus’ Cowboys had an awful time defending the pass last season.
Some experts pointed out the Cowboys’ talent deficiency was to blame for Eberflus’ firing, especially at EDGE after they traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers just a week before their Week 1 game in Philadelphia last season.
But football czar Jerry Jones worked on building the front four back up, and Solak noted it is good enough to win with.
“The talent is good enough,” Solak wrote. “While the Cowboys sorely miss Micah Parsons’ elite presence, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has been a similar disruptor at his best, and the depth behind him — edges Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Malachi Lawrence, along with defensive tackle Kenny Clark — is solid.
“A pass rush can do wonders to protect a poor back seven, and Dallas’ talent clears the bar.”
With talented pass rushers, Parker could opt to rush the passer with four down linemen and play a zone-style defense like his mentor and Eagles DC Vic Fangio. Though the talent on Dallas’ D-line isn’t as strong as Philadelphia’s, they are good enough to mask some outside issues as long as they tackle.
“If Parker runs Vic Fangio’s defense to the letter, he won’t blitz much — no defense blitzed less than Fangio’s Eagles over the past two seasons,” Solak wrote. “Fangio’s secondary plays with big cushions on the outside and two-high safeties, which allows both light boxes in the running game and easy-access underneath routes in the passing game.
“On longer-developing drop backs, Dallas needs to get after the passer.”
The Cowboys Defense Only Needs to Improve a Little
GettyDak Prescott and the Cowboys offense is still loaded
Solak noted the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl with defense, but Dallas doesn’t need to do that, since its offense is electric.
The Cowboys were second in the NFL in yards per game (391.9) and seventh in points per game (27.7). That they missed the playoffs at all was due to their awful defense.
So if the Dallas defense is three points better than last season, or even start playing well late in the year, it likely will clear double-digit wins, which would be good enough to make the playoffs
“The Cowboys can win 10 games on the back of their offense, which might be enough to win the NFC East,” Solak wrote. “Even with a wild-card berth, Dallas will be live in the NFC playoffs so long as the defense rounds into form across November and December.”
Cowboys Have a Clear Path to Fixing the NFL’s Worst Pass Defense: Analyst