It has been a while since Dallas Cowboys fans had a reason to believe in their defense. While the roster still needs a lot of work, it seems they hired the right man to lead the turnaround in new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Parker was finally introduced at The Star on Wednesday, and to say that he knocked it out of the park would be selling it short. The 34-year-old has a calm demeanor, but he was still able to command the room. He won the day when he talked about what makes a great teacher.
Parker didn't get into the weeds of the Cowboys' roster, but one player already on his radar is second-year cornerback Shavon Revel Jr.
Actually, Revel's been on Parker's radar for a while, as Dallas' new DC revealed that he evaluated Revel during the draft process last year.
“I definitely evaluated Revel last year in the draft process,” Parker said. “Had one of his teammates at Denver, Ja’Quan McMillan, from ECU, so a little bit of intel there. His ability to erase receivers in press coverage. He’s very aggressive in run support. He has the long speed and the athletic traits that you want at the position.”
Shavon Revel's stock is trending up with new Dallas Cowboys DC Christian Parker
Just think about what that quote can do for Revel's confidence.
It's huge that Parker has already scouted Revel, who had a wonky rookie year headlined by a setback in his ACL rehab during training camp that delayed his return to the field.
The former East Carolina star showed some flashes in seven games, but he looked out of place in Matt Eberflus' scheme. Teams eventually caught wind of that and began picking on the rookie.
Revel thrived as a press-man corner in college, and Eberflus had him playing 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. Eberflus had many issues, but forcing players to fit his scheme was his biggest downfall. That's been a problem in Dallas dating back to Mike Zimmer's stint as DC in 2024.
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Parker, though, said he wants to build a scheme around his players. He has a good idea of what he wants to run, but he will ultimately cater to what his players do best.
“If we have good man corners, we will play man," Parker said. "If we have guys better with zone vision, we’ll play zone, but no matter what you wanna have guys that no matter what scheme they are in can be contributors -- just need to highlight it to their strengths.”
That is life-changing news for Revel, who was an awful fit with Eberflus. His 34.6 coverage grade ranked last out of 114 cornerbacks, per Pro Football Focus, which checks out considering he allowed a 119.7 passer rating when targeted and 14.0 yards per reception.
Not all of that can be chalked up to poor fit.
Revel played with a bulky knee brace that likely limited his mobility, and his eight missed tackles reflected some shaky tackling form and effort. On top of that, cornerback is one of the hardest positions to transition from college to the NFL.
But Eberflus didn't do anything to help the cause. Fortunately, Parker likely has a good idea of where Revel can improve, and he's going to build his scheme around his players' strengths.
All of a sudden, Revel's stock is trending up.