Jerry Jones is shaking up the Cowboys’ defensive setup again, and this time the change is headed to the booth.
During a Tuesday radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said defensive coordinator Christian Parker will move off the sideline and into the coaching booth for games going forward. The adjustment comes in the middle of a rough five-week start to the 2026 NFL season for Dallas, which has had serious trouble getting its defense on track.
The numbers tell the story. The Cowboys are second to last in the league in total yards allowed per game at 395.4, with only the Detroit Lions behind them. Against the run, it’s been even worse: Dallas sits last in rushing defense, giving up 168.4 yards per game on the ground.
This latest move is part of a broader defensive reset before Sunday night’s Week 6 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. On Monday, Dallas added veteran NFL coach Mike Pettine as a senior defensive assistant, giving Parker another experienced voice in the room.
"It's something we've been talking about for a long time," head coach Brian Schottenheimer said of the hire, via ESPN. "I think as we looked at everything, we had a chance to convince Pett that it made sense for him.
I think he's excited about coming in and adding experience and value. The most important thing for us was making sure we got the right guy, and I feel very, very confident that we did."
Kickoff for Cowboys-Packers is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday night.
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The more troubling part for Dallas is how rare this kind of back-to-back start has been for a head coach in team history. Schottenheimer is now in a small club of Cowboys leaders who have opened consecutive seasons with two or fewer wins through five games, a group that has generally been associated with coaching eras the franchise would rather not revisit. For a team that expects to contend, the early returns have left plenty of room for bigger questions to linger. [Read more 🡒]