It's only a matter of time until the NFL realizes it messed up by allowing the Dallas Cowboys to end up with Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator.
Judging by the reaction after the Cowboys hired Parker, it seemed inevitable he would land a defensive coordinator job, whether this cycle or the next. He’s viewed in high regard around the league, and that respect extends to the players he’s coached.
Eagles All-Pro cornerback Cooper DeJean was devastated to lose him, while Broncos star cornerback Patrick Surtain could not contain his excitement, saying on X that the promotion was well-deserved.
The Parker fan club is growing seemingly by the hour, and NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport is officially a member. As he told 105.3 The Fan, Rapoport came away super impressed by Parker when he visited Eagles training camp last summer.
"Christian Parker has always been a bit of a fascination for me," Rapoport said. "I went to Philly last year to be like, ‘Who is Christian Parker?’ I’ve heard a lot about him. Everyone says he’s a stud. I never met him, so I flew out there to go meet him, and he was awesome.
When I heard that the Cowboys were interviewing him, I was like, ‘This has got to be the guy.’ You take from a rival, you get a bright young head coach who everyone says is a stud."
Even Ian Rapoport is impressed by Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian parker
Rapoport admitted that reporters typically visit training camps to speak with general managers and head coaches. However, meeting Parker was the primary motivation behind his trip to Philly last year. That alone speaks volumes about Parker’s standing in NFL circles.
Furthermore, Rapoport was pleasantly surprised by the process that led to Dallas hiring Parker, specifically that Jerry and Stephen Jones stepped aside and allowed Brian Schottenheimer to spearhead the search.
“It certainly seemed like Stephen and Jerry were like, ‘Do your thing. Do the full search and see how it goes, rather than, alright, here are the couple guys we are thinking of.’”
Schottenheimer deserves the lion’s share of the credit, but Stephen and Jerry also deserve recognition for getting out of the way. Dare we say they learned their lesson after saddling Schottenheimer with their old pal Matt Eberflus? It seems that way.
While Parker will ultimately be judged by how the defense performs between September and January -- and potentially February, if hell were to freeze over -- it's impossible not to be encouraged by the early returns.
The staff that Parker and Brian Schottenheimer assembled is impressive on its own, but Parker won over Cowboys fans in his introductory press conference when he outlined his vision for the defense and the importance of teaching and player development.
Expecting an elite defense from Day 1 is wishful thinking, but Parker is already building a foundation that could have sustained success.