The defense under Parker has been vocal and in the face of the offense, and it's something that CeeDee Lamb loves.
The Dallas Cowboys' defense has been the talk of training camp under Christian Parker, making life tough on head coach Brian Schottenheimer's offense.
Granted, it is only practice, but the energy and willingness to get in the face of the likes of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and others give this defense a nasty edge that it didn't have last season.
Of course, the offense has its days when it has the edge, but the back-and-forth on the practice field has been noticeable. Even Parker has been seen chirping at the offense.
Iron sharpens iron, folks.
And for Lamb, he's loving the energy and aggression that Parker's defense is bringing to every practice, because it forces the offense to make a choice.
Either bend the knee, or stand up to it.
"It's fire, I embrace it, I love it," Lamb said. "It's good to see your defense come out with that type of energy, that type of fire, that type of aggression early on. For us as a offense, it leave us no choice [but] to either bow down or fight back to get on top. And I know one thing about us, we won't bow down to nobody.
"So even if they on our team, we going to compete. It was hype at first until it's time to get down to it."
Today, the Cowboys engage in a joint practice with the Rams ... another chance to compete on a different level.
Given how prolific the offense was last season, Parker's defense making things tough bodes well for what the unit might show today ... and what it could become in 2026.
Now, they won't be perfect, and there will be times big plays are given up, or a miscommunication here or there happens, but for the most part, this defense should be better across the board.
And a big reason for that is going against one of the best offenses in football daily.
Not every team has a quarterback like Dak Prescott and two elite receivers in Lamb and Pickens (though as it happens, the Rams actually do), and for Parker's unit to at least hold their own, that's something to note.
Whether that translates into the regular season is unknown. After all, in Mike Zimmer's first game against the Cleveland Browns in 2024, many thought the defense was going to be good, and we know how that ended (finished 31st in points allowed, 27.5 ppg).
And last year, nobody thought the defense was going to be the NFL's worst under Matt Eberflus ... and you know how that turned out.
But this does feel different, and Lamb is loving that this defense isn't backing down; in fact, it's the opposite. It's fire.
And Parker's unit is running straight into it.
