Cowboys poach Eagles assistant Christian Parker as their next defensive coordinator

The Cowboys went in-division to fill their defensive coordinator opening. 

Dallas has agreed to a deal hire Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker for the DC vacancy, according to ESPN. 

Parker, who spent each of the last two seasons in Philadelphia, has worked under Vic Fangio since 2021, when the pair was with the Broncos. 

The Cowboys had talked with former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and Vikings pass game coordinator Daronte Jones about the job. 

Parker will be the fourth defensive coordinator in Dallas in as many seasons after one-and-dones with Mike Zimmer, Matt Eberflus and Dan Quinn, who left for the Commanders’ head coaching job in 2023. 

The Cowboys fired Eberflus days after their regular-season finale, as the team allowed a league-high 30.1 points per game and 377 yards per game, which were the third-most in the NFL.

Dallas’ pass game, Parker’s specialty, in particular, wasn’t great, allowing 251.5 yards through the air per contest, the most in the league. 

Part of the Cowboys’ struggles had to do with the loss of star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who was shockingly traded to the Packers shortly before Week 1. 

They’ll hope to have better luck with Parker, who has worked closely with some of the best secondary talent in the NFL. 

In Philadelphia, he helped coach up young cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the latter of whom gave him a shoutout on social media after the news broke. 

“They got a great one,” DeJean wrote on X on Thursday. “[I] wouldn’t be the player I am without Coach CP.”

Parker also coached All-Pro defensive backs Patrick Surtain II and Justin Simmons in Denver.