Parker is coming to a defense that was poor in 2024, and the task at hand is no small one to turn things around.
The task at hand for new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker isn't a small one.
The defense he inherited from Matt Eberflus is riddled with holes, to the point where the Cowboys need roughly six or seven starting-caliber players to walk through the doors of The Star.
Whether that is via free agency and/or the draft, Parker likely knows he needs fresh faces.
But going through such a big overhaul, likely at every level of the defense except the defensive line, will take time for all the pieces of Parker's defense to come together.
However, with Dak Prescott and his offense seen as one of the best in football, there won't be a long grace period for Parker, because Cowboys Nation doesn't want to waste another Prescott season.
But what are the hopes that Parker can get this unit playing well from the get-go?
For Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, he's detailed what he ideally wants to see from Christian's defense come Week 1 of the season.
“The biggest thing is we want to get the personnel that we need to have this defense evolve into one of the top defenses in the league,” Jones said. “Obviously, you had one of the top offenses in the league, same holds true for special teams. We certainly want to be better there, we've got some good pieces.
"Usually, when you get good defensive players, those turn into pretty good special teams players, too. So we just want to evolve into being really strong in all three phases.”
So getting the right players in to execute Parker's defensive vision. Got it.
Now, who that will be is anyone's guess, but with upgrades needed at linebacker, pass rusher, safety, and corner, there is no shortage of needs.
Yes, Jones spoke of the defensive "foundation" the defense has with Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark, DeMarvion Overshown and DaRon Bland. So that is something for Parker to work with.
But who he and the Cowboys bring in this offseason will tell us a lot about his vision.
But one thing is for sure: Stephen has his idea, and that's for Parker to eventually oversee one of the best defenses in football.