Quarterback Dak Prescott won’t work very closely with new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. But it’s not unusual for Dallas media to ask the signal-caller about any Cowboys moves even if they only impact him indirectly.
Prescott made clear Wednesday that Dallas hiring Parker as defensive coordinator came with his stamp of approval.
“Super excited about that hire,” Prescott said, via Dallascowboys.com’s Tommy Parrish. “Obviously I’ve met him, talked to him briefly, but excited just for the demeanor, the way he carries himself.”
The Cowboys hired Parker as DC after he spent two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In Philadelphia, Parker served as the team’s defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
During 2026, Parker will be a defensive coordinator for the first time.
Dak Prescott Has Heard Great Things on Christian Parker
The Cowboys quarterback will go up against Parker in practice this fall. But that’s a lot different than facing his pass defense and cornerback group in a real game.
While addressing the Parker hire, Prescott suggested he was relieved that will no longer be the case.
The quarterback got a little taste of that at the Pro Bowl. Also, while speaking to Eagles defenders, Prescott heard terrific feedback on the new Cowboys defensive coordinator.
“Met the whole staff, and not only that, when you get to go to the Pro Bowl, you get to meet guys and get to talk to Zack Baun, Cooper DeJean, guys that played under him,” Prescott said. “Just to hear how much they loved him, how much they loved playing for him, how excited our guys are going to be. Super pumped.”
Impressive Resume for New Cowboys DC Christian Parker
The new Cowboys defensive coordinator started his coaching career at Virginia State in 2013. After four seasons as a defensive backs coach at lower-level schools, Parker became an analyst at Notre Dame.
Following the 2018 campaign as a defensive analyst at Texas A&M, Parker landed his first NFL job — defensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers.
Parker returned to coaching defensive backs with the Denver Broncos in 2021. During his first season in Denver, he coached under head coach Vic Fangio, who has been an NFL defensive guru for years.
Parker remained with the Broncos after the team fired Fangio following the 2021 campaign. But eventually, the assistant coached under Fangio again in Philadelphia.
During Parker’s first season with the Eagles, the team went 14-3 and won the Super Bowl.
In addition to his new defensive coordinator, Prescott answered questions on a couple other topics Wednesday. Most notably, he explained what he will focus on improving this offseason.
“Just all those little nuances,” Prescott said. “If there’s one thing it’s probably just some rhythm in my footwork.
“That’s something that other people might not even realize or see, but it’s just me wanting to be a perfectionist in the way that we do things. I started doing new things last year with Schotty in point of the footwork, and some of them just aren’t quite to the standard we want them to be, and so that’s a big part of it, but as you said, the whole game.”
Dak Prescott Speaks out on Key Cowboys Coaching Staff Hire