FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a deal to make Christian Parker their defensive coordinator, a source told ESPN on Thursday.
Parker, 34, has spent the past two seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles' passing game coordinator and secondary coach. He has worked under Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio since 2021 when they were with the Denver Broncos.
He helped develop Eagles cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean into Pro Bowlers in their second seasons while also getting productivity from veterans like Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship. DeJean was effusive in his praise of Parker on X, writing "wouldn't be the player I am without Coach CP."
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said he was looking for a good teacher and communicator as their defensive coordinator and interviewed nine candidates. At the season-ending news conference, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said previous head coaching experience would not be a prerequisite.
Parker had an in-person interview with the Cowboys on Wednesday and made a big impression on the organization. Over the weekend, the Cowboys held in-person interviews with Minnesota Vikings pass game coordinator Daronte Jones and met with former Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday.
This marks the first time since Monte Kiffin in 2013 that the Cowboys have not had a former NFL head coach as their defensive coordinator. Since then, they have had Rod Marinelli (2014-19), Mike Nolan (2020), Dan Quinn (2021-23), Mike Zimmer (2024) and Matt Eberflus (2025), who was fired after Dallas finished last in the league in points allowed and 30th in yards per game.
Aside from defensive tackle, where the Cowboys have Pro Bowler Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa, there are questions at every other spot on defense. Former Pro Bowl cornerback DaRon Bland is coming back from a second surgery on his left foot in as many years. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown played in six games in 2025 after suffering three torn ligaments in his right knee. The safety spot is unsettled with Donovan Wilson set to hit free agency.
The Cowboys have two first-round picks in the 2026 draft and will be in position to add pieces through free agency, although they have been reluctant to spend heavily on the open market for years.
With the Broncos, cornerback Patrick Surtain II and safety Justin Simmons earned All-Pro honors with Parker as their position coach. He broke into the NFL as a quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers in 2019 under Matt LaFleur.
