The Dallas Cowboys have Christian Parker in place now as the team’s defensive coordinator, and in doing so, have allowed the team to turn the page on an ugly run of defense in 2025 under coordinator Matt Eberflus. His defense ranked last in the NFL in points allowed and was 30th in yardage allowed. He was hired on the heels of the Cowboys parting ways with former coordinator Mike Zimmer, whose 2024 defense topped Eberflus’ only in that it was No. 31 in points and No. 28 in yardage allowed.
Parker has his work cut out for him, clearly. And the front office knows that, even with a smart, respected up-and-comer like Parker on board, a coordinator can’t do much if he has no players to coordinate. That’s what team VP Stephen Jones said recently that finding a coordinator is only part of the deal.
“We know we have to improve not only from a coaching staff standpoint, but we also need to improve from a personnel standpoint. So all that goes into the mix and the equation, and I think we’re making good progress,” Jones said.
Cowboys Need Personnel Changes on Defense
Real progress for the Cowboys, though, won’t start until mid-March when the team goes after free-agent additions. And though Dallas rarely uses the free-agent market to make significant changes, especially on defense, the team will need to make some targeted acquisitions, as it will need its draft picks elsewhere.
It’s important to remember that, after the two first-rounders (No. 12 and 20), the Cowboys will not have second- and third-round picks this season. That puts more pressure on the free-agency period to address certain positions–especially linebacker and safety, areas of need the Cowboys have where NFL teams can typically find bargains.
Cowboys Advised to Target Alex Singleton
At the Dallas Morning News, in welcoming Parker and giving him a set of tasks out of the gate, beat writer Joseph Hoyt notes that Parker can do everyone some favors by luring Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton to Dallas in free agency. Parker was the defensive backs coach for the Eagles, but before that, he’d been in the same role with Denver.
He mentioned Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean, who will be a top-of-the-market free agent, but added: “A potentially cheaper option could be Denver linebacker Alex Singleton. The Cowboys saw firsthand how impactful he can be. He had 11 tackles and a forced fumble against the Cowboys this year. His market value, according to Spotrac, is $4.7 million per year. He and Parker worked together in Denver before Parker went to Philadelphia.”
Alex Singleton Is 32 Years Old
Linebacker was a disaster zone for the Cowboys last season, where Kenneth Murray and Logan Wilson failed to fill the captain-of-the defense role the team needs. It is a position that absolutely must be addressed, but it might not make sense to address it in the first round, not when the next pick won’t be until the fourth round.
Singleton would be a short-term solution–he is already 32 years old.
The Cowboys should have a linebacker in place by the time the NFL draft comes around. They could still look at Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles with a top pick. But cost-effective cornerbacks are harder to find, and Parker is surely going to want one–maybe two–top young corners coming out of this draft.
Signing Singleton in March would make the job much easier in April.
Linebacker Who Dominated Cowboys Floated as Free-Agent Target