The Dallas Cowboys‘ defense is in a free fall, and it’s especially disturbing because that free fall dates back to last year. The team had the entire offseason to fix it, and they certainly put forth the effort and the moves to do so. That started with the hiring of defensive coordinator Christian Parker, proceeded to the trade for Rashan Gary, followed by the signing of Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant and PJ Locke in free agency and right through the drafting of Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence in the first round this April.
Maybe some of those pieces will work out eventually. But so far, it’s a disaster in Dallas. The Cowboys have made the investments in players, with no real results, and so the finger of blame is being pointed, increasingly, at Parker, the 34-year-old hire who was supposed to bring a new philosophy and energy to the defense. So far, he has given the Cowboys the worst defense in the NFL, one that has yet to record an interception, allows a league-worst 120.5 passer rating and has recorded a measly five sacks in five games.
Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams: Players Must Execute Christian Parker’s Calls
The Cowboys are standing by Parker despite the obvious failures and the increasing calls to pull the plug on him five games into his DC career. Coach Brian Schottenheimer has said he will look at making changes, but that does not extend to firing coaches.
In the locker room, the question is whether Parker–or, eventually, Schottenheimer himself–still has the players on his side.
Defensive lineman Quinnen Williams insists he does–“100% faith” he added.
“At the end of the day, we step in between those lines and we got to execute to the best of our abilities every single down,” Williams said. “No matter what CP calls, we got to execute.”
That’s the baffling thing. The Cowboys were a lousy and soft defensive team in 2025. They changed the players, they changed the coordinator, they changed the system. So, who’s to blame? It’s a chicken-or-egg question, but for now, at least, the players are keeping Parker’s back.
Cowboys Star Makes ‘100%’ Statement on Embattled Coach