FRISCO, Texas (AP) — New Dallas defensive coordinator Christian Parker didn’t have to wait long for a tense sideline exchange to end up on social media, or for the duty to try to explain a poor performance that has become all too familiar for fans of the Cowboys.
Parker got his first chance to call defensive plays as a 34-year-old because the Cowboys fired Matt Eberflus after his only season when he oversaw one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and in franchise history.
Following an offseason and training camp filled with optimism over a young coach and a revamped roster, the Cowboys looked frighteningly similar to 2025 in a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants in the opener.
The defense wasn’t very good in the first half, and even worse in the second, when the Giants scored touchdowns on eight-minute drives on their first two possessions and ran out the clock on the third. Dallas scored TDs the only two times it got the ball after the break.
Somewhere amid all that, Parker was caught on camera in a sideline exchange with rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who always has an intense look and in this case started barking back at Parker from the bench before getting up and storming off.
It’s safe to say it was a rough debut for both — Barham as an NFL player and Parker as an NFL play-caller.
“He was a little frustrated with himself and frustrated with our side of the ball,” Parker said. “But I don’t think anybody in our building has any doubt of what he’s going to do coming real soon. We don’t have any reservations about his mentality. We welcome that passion. Have to channel it better. And that’s something that young players have to go through. It’s a natural progression. We have a lot of confidence in Jaishawn.”
Coach Brian Schottenheimer, in his second season in charge after 25 years as an NFL assistant, isn’t losing confidence in Parker after one week. Dallas is home against Washington in a matchup of 0-1 teams Sunday.
“I have no question Christian Parker is the right guy for this job,” Schottenheimer said. “He will learn from this, just like our young players are going to learn from this. We’re going to play our young players this weekend too, and they’re going to play better and Christian’s going to call a better game this week and feel better about it.”
The Cowboys added two veteran pass rushers in Rashan Gary and Von Miller, and Barham was among the reasons for optimism when the third-round pick emerged as a potential starter during the preseason.
Caleb Downs was the 12th overall pick as a safety, and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence was the other first-rounder for Dallas at No. 23.
There was reason to believe the run defense could be stout anchored by defensive tackles Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark.
Instead, the Cowboys didn’t offer much resistance against Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, and the secondary left huge gaps in coverage the same way Dallas did a season ago.
Parker is aware of all those things, and was reserved and measured the first time he had to face the questions that come with such a dismal showing.
“It’s one poor performance,” Parker said. “It’s one loss that does not equal two. I think we’re not trying to make excuses for anything. We’re not trying to act like it didn’t happen. We got to look in the mirror, we got to be accountable for what we did wrong and what we did right, correct it and then move on to the next opponent because it can’t be a hangover and it can’t linger.”
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Schuyler Dixon, The Associated Press
