Saying the Dallas Cowboys' defense was unwatchable in 2025 would be the understatement of the century. Not only were they the worst-performing defense in the NFL a season ago, they were one of the worst defenses in NFL history, which resulted in the long-overdue firing of Matt Eberflus.
The bar was underground, but Dallas' defense is on the brink of improving considerably under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. The personnel and the coaching is so much better in OTAs to the point CeeDee Lamb has already taken notice of how much the Cowboys' defense has improved.
Lamb hasn't been facing this new-look Cowboys' defense for very long, but has already offered them a ringing endorsement. He referred to them as "annoying", but the defense in Dallas hasn't been tricky for the offense since Dan Quinn left for Washington, so this is a pretty major update from No. 88.
"It's annoying," Lamb said. "It's been annoying to prepare against, but obviously just seeing it practice every day... It's kind of unique, just seeing different guys communicate and being able to understand and take what they learn from the meeting room, and being able to easily translate it on the field. It's good to go against, it's very tricky."
CeeDee Lamb is taking notice of the new-look Dallas Cowboys' defense
Lamb is well aware of how many games the defense lost the Cowboys in 2025. They went 7-9-1 with a top offense in the NFL, but Eberflus unit was unable to stop a nosebleed. But it's telling that Parker hasn't been here that long and already has them in a better spot than his predecessor.
You see the personnel upgrades. Guys like Caleb Downs, Cobie Durant, and Devin Moore in the secondary, Dee Winters and Jaishawn Barham at linebacker, and Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence off the edge. But that's not what stands out about Lamb's comments about Dallas' new coordinator.
His words underscore the elite job Parker has done. The 34-year-old helped develop several elite DBs in Denver and Philadelphia. He's clearly a bright football mind. But calling plays is a different beast, and if you didn't know he was a first-year DC you'd assume he's been doing this for years.
Adjusting to a new role and teaching new players a new system in both practice and meetings isn't easy. So not only did the five-time Pro Bowler make Eberflus look even worse, he confirmed Parker is a rising star for the work he has done with this Cowboys' defense in such a short period of time.
Iron sharpens iron, and if this Dallas offense wants to sustain their elite numbers, it'll help to face a capable defense in practice. And CeeDee Lamb made it clear Christian Parker has the Cowboys well on their way to becoming one again.
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