Now that the Dallas Cowboys have their defensive coordinator–ex-Eagles defensive backs coach Christian Parker–on hand, the team has begun the almost equally important task of filling out four assistant coach spots (defensive line, linebackers, corners and safeties) on the defensive staff, and appear to have candidates lined up for those spots, though no deals or exact roles are finalized.
Probably the one task for this defense, though, that is bigger than hiring Parker is overhauling the personnel. The Cowboys’ defense was bad last year under Matt Eberflus–32nd in points allowed, 30th in yardage–and while Eberflus took the fall for that failure, the players deserve ample blame, too.
And while the Cowboys are very nicely set up on the defensive line heading into the 2026 offseason, the rest of the defense needs work. Lots of it. The Cowboys need upgrades and wholesale changes among every other unit, which will need to be addressed in the coming months in the draft and in free agency.
Parker just happens to have ties to one available free agent who would be a sure fit in Dallas: safety Reed Blankenship.
Cowboys Need a Defensive Backfield Overhaul
There is some momentum, too, it seems, nudging the Cowboys into a potential Blankenship pursuit this offseason. The Cowboys will likely keep Malik Hooker and Markquese Bell, who are under contract, but the rest of the bunch is on thin ice.
As the Cowboys site Blogging the Boys noted, “Christian Parker will have more of an active say exactly which free agents he’d like them to sign and it could start with former Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship.”
DallasCowboys.com writer Patrik Walker wrote on Twitter/X: “(Eagles) Unrestricted free agents: Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship … i’m just going to assume Christian Parker will have a word with the #Cowboys about at least one of them.”
SI.com also noted that the Blankenship-Parker connection should head to North Texas: “Dallas must look to free agency, and with Parker running the defense, Reed Blankenship is a name that should be high on their list.”
And at The Athletic, before the hiring of Parker, Jon Machota speculated that the new DC could add a safety to replace Donovan Wilson: “It would make sense to make a notable investment in the position from outside the building. Perhaps the new defensive coordinator will value the position more than it has been in the past. That’s where a new player could end up replacing Wilson, an unrestricted free agent.”
Getty Malik Hooker #28 of the Dallas Cowboys
Reed Blankenship Could Get a $14.5 Million Cowboys Contract
Blankenship could be a leader with the Cowboys. He worked his way from an undrafted DB out of Middle Tennessee State in 2022 up to a starter for the Eagles, and then to a captain’s role. He’s durable (Blankenship has started 46 out of 51 games in the last three years) and a good tackler.
He struggled in coverage at times this year, but he was perhaps being asked to do too much–he had a coverage grade of 73.6 in 2024 but just 32.7 in 2025, per Pro Football Focus.
Blankenship will be relatively cheap on the free-agent market, as is the case with most safeties. Spotrac projects him getting a two-year, $14.5 million contract. The Cowboys’ top paid safety, Malik Hooker, is in the last year of a three-year, $21 million deal.
Reed Blankenship Was ‘Kind of a Rock’ in 2025
It is likely that his struggles in coverage were an anomaly in 2025, or, at least, that the Cowboys could gamble on that being the case. Leadership is still one of Blankenship’s strengths.
Speaking about Blankenship earlier this season, Eagles DC Vic Fangio said, “He’s been kind of a rock back there. He’s got a rookie safety next to him. His importance to the defense is more than just what you see from the playing part of it. He’s the signal caller back there and keeps everybody calm.”
The Cowboys lacked that in their 2025 defensive backfield. Perhaps Blankenship could bring it to Dallas.
Cowboys Could Seek $14 Million Free Agent With Christian Parker Ties