The Cowboys need help in the secondary. Former DBs coach, and now defensive coordinator, Christian Parker may know a guy.
The Dallas Cowboys' new defensive coordinator Christian Parker has gotten down to business by shuffling out a handful of coaches from last year's program that yielded one of the worst defenses in franchise history.
This week, the Cowboys have dismissed a trio of assistants in passing-game coordinator Andre Curtis, secondary assistant David Overstreet and linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi - notably two guys who work on the secondary, Parker's expertise.
The DC is now expected to start anew, either with "his guys" that he's crossed paths with before or candidates in an open search.
Typically in this season of a coaching carousel, the former route is more the case. New coordinators - especially those in Year 1 in the title like Parker - want to build their scheme around philosophies that are most familiar to them. That largely connects them to old colleagues from previous stops when it comes time to build a staff.
And that doesn't always relate to just coaching.
As it happens, Parker, a former defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, will see a handful of former players in Philly become unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Many of them fit the needs of his new roster in Dallas ... but to be fair, there are a lot of needs to begin with.
The most intriguing of the bunch is safety Reed Blankenship. He likely has the strongest connection to Parker through their work in the secondary, and that's an area where the Cowboys could be the most desperate this cycle, as indicated by the house-cleaning of staff.
Dallas allowed the most passing yards in the league with a secondary that was plagued by miscommunication, injuries, and overall poor performance. Among the litany of things that went bad on this defense, the defensive backs group was the most glaring of them all - which may point directly to why a specialist like Parker was pinned for lead job.
Blankenship is a perfect fit for what Parker wants to build in Dallas. The new coordinator, just 34 years old, appears to favor a youth movement of sorts based on who he's interviewied to begin filling assistant-coaching spots. Remember, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and OC Klayton Adams are also early into their careers at these positions.
The Eagles DB is experienced, but he's also young, which allows him to carry on his relationship with Parker into what could be a long-term contract that makes him a staple building block on this new-look defense.
Blankenship, 26, checks an extra box for a needy team like Dallas: availability. Over the last two regular seasons, he's totaled more interceptions (5) than games missed (3). The fourth-year pro posted a career-high 113 total tackles in 2023. This year, he accumulated his second-most takedowns with 83.
How about another potential grab? Eagles assistant linebackers coach Ronnell Williams, who has already interviewed with Parker about assuming the same position in Dallas. That could pave the way for explosive backer and 2026 free agent Nakobe Dean to make the jump to the NFC East rival, as well.
The Cowboys will surely leverage these connection with their new defensive coordinator, keeping tabs both on players like Blankenship and coaching movements as the offseason moves toward free agency in March.
