The Cowboys' secondary was woeful last season, but can there be a quick turnaround under Parker?
Last season, the Dallas Cowboys' secondary was one of, if not the worst, in football under Matt Eberflus.
The constant blown assignments, miscommunication, and the monster plays through the air that saw receivers have no defenders within 20 yards of them, time and time again.
It was a tough watch.
But enter Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator, who has skins on the wall in developing some of the best corners in football, such as Cooper Dejean, Patrick Surtain II, and Quinyon Mitchell.
The personnel is vastly different as well, with the Cowboys going out and getting Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant, and PJ Locke in the offseason. Plus, we add in the drafting of Caleb Downs, who looms as a chess piece for Parker, and on paper, the secondary looks better.
We then add in a healthy Shavon Revel Jr., who is easily having his best practices since being drafted, both in Oxnard and in the joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams.
There's confidence flowing through Shavon for the first time since he arrived in Dallas. ... especially after his interception in a preseason Week 2 win at Arizona.
Then we have DaRon Bland, who is also healthy after dealing with a foot issue that threatened to derail his career and, like Revel, is having a productive camp under Parker.
So, there is a lot of good that has come from training camp in Oxnard and the practice against the Rams, and the exhibition wins at Seattle and at Arizona. ... with the defense not being overmatched.
A far cry from Eberflus' unit a year ago.
But when asked what this secondary can be in 2026, Bland gave a rather interesting response.
"I say exceptional," Bland said. "Be one of the best in the league because once we're all on the same page, everybody's going to make a play."
That is a big statement. We'll take "competent'' as a starting point, and by all accounts, Parker has this defense in good shape at this stage of the offseason.
Julius Wood and Alijah Clark have both flashed at times in camp as well, so there appears to be some depth now in the secondary (don't forget about Caelen Carson and Josh Butler as well).
And to think, we've barely seen Thompson on the field this offseason, and the unit is already in good shape. So, add him in, and maybe there is another uptick in performance coming.
Still, it is only preseason - with this weekend's one home game against the Saints to go - but bricks are being laid by Parker and his unit as they look to be a vastly improved defense from the one that was a free-for-all last year.
As far as the secondary? They appear to be in good order under Parker ... "exceptional'' even, according to Bland.
