It appears Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is rather bullish on what the defense can be in 2026 under Christian Parker.
You could look at Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as an eternal optimist.
With the Cowboys' defense needing a complete overhaul and a handful of quality starters to be signed in the offseason, things are off to a decent start.
And Jerry is happy.
The Cowboys have signed Jalen Thompson, Rashan Gary, Cobie Durant, and PJ Locke, and you can make the case that at least three of them will be starters come Week 1.
Others in Matt Hennessy, Sam Howell, and Otito Ogbonnia have also been signed in what has been a busy period for the Cowboys.
So much so that it has even taken Jerry by surprise.
"I don't remember this much activity in a long, long time,” Jerry said. "I don't know that we've ever had this kind of reshaping of an aspect of our team. Of course, we actually have touched some offense with a great blocker, but more importantly, what we've done on defense.
"Plus, what we have set up for the draft, plus what we really have coming back from our veteran defensive players that really didn't play that much last year, injury issues, gives us a lot of promise."
With two first-round draft picks and eight total selections, coupled with the return to full health of DeMarvion Overshown and Shavon Revel Jr., it could be easy to get a little caught up in what Dallas "could" be in 2026.
But there is a lot to play out over the coming weeks, and the feeling is that there haven't been enough defensive additions.
Still, Jerry is bullish on the unit as things stand, and he also gave a little parting shot to Matt Eberflus in the process.
"I'll tell you, when you have the challenges we had last year, there's no place to go but up on the defensive side of the ball," Jerry added. "Had we played a lick of defense last year, we would've had ourselves, I think, a real playoff run."
"A lick of defense" is quite the term, Jerry.
With Parker taking over, there is an expectation that his coaching alone will improve the roster, even if only slightly.
We then add in the free agency pieces acquired, and maybe this thing is trending in the right direction.
Yes, more is needed, but Jerry seems content with how his team is shaping up ahead of the draft.
Make of that what you will.