Many are on the Cowboys' bandwagon simply because of Parker and what he projects to do with the defense, but is too much being expected?
The Dallas Cowboys' bandwagon has filled up a lot over the past couple of months, and the main reason has been what has been done with Christian Parker and the defense.
With a host of free agency signings, plus Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, and others, coupled with what many see as Parker's vision, many think that the Cowboys' defense could be transformed.
But many are seeing the defense as the biggest reason for the Cowboys' optimism in 2026, which, for a rookie coordinator, is certainly something.
Indeed, it seems head coach Brian Schottenheimer is on that bandwagon list.
“I can’t get the guy to leave the building,'' Schotty said of Parker. "I kinda see myself as a grinder, and I’m always out before he is. He just loves it.”
I'm not ready to crown Dallas as anything yet; instead, I am waiting to see how Parker's vision plays out over the coming months, and even in the first handful of regular-season games.
So, while many are bullish on the Cowboys' defense being a big reason for optimism, 105.3 The Fan's Bobby Belt offered up an interesting take on the amount of hope fans are putting on Parker being great straight out of the gate.
When answering mailbag questions, what you are most excited about and worried about when it comes to the Cowboys in 2026, Belt gave a thought-provoking answer.
"Christian Parker is what I'm most excited about, Christian Parker is what I'm most worried about," Belt said. "I think he's going to be really good, I don't know, and it's really difficult to anticipate that this defense will be any worse than it was last year. It can only get better.
"From that perspective, it shouldn't be too terribly concerning, but there's such high expectations for what he's building and the vision that he has that if he just struggles a ton to adjust to stuff and the growing pains are more intense than you initially expect.
"That I think that will be very depleting to a lot of morale, and make it feel like oh this wasn't just took you a couple weeks to get your legs under you, this is a whole season where you had to figure out how to call a defense. That would be pretty demoralizing I think for them."
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I think it is a fact that not many are really thinking of, and that's Parker hasn't called plays before, and Belt mentioned that as well.
The expectations placed on Parker and the hope that he won't just make the defense a little better, but significantly better, are huge. No one is really talking about things taking a while to get off the ground. Many think it's an immediate impact.
And yes, it might be, but putting so much faith into a coach that hasn't called plays before is a slippery slope, because what if it doesn't work?
Granted, I think it will. To what extent, I don't know, but we are all so invested in Parker making this defense good, which, in truth, won't be that hard based on last season, that maybe we aren't seeing the other side of it.
Belt just told us what it could be, and it's rather frightening.
