Side-by-side comparison of Cowboys defenses shows a staggering makeover

Dallas Cowboys fans don't need to be reminded about how bad the thankfully very brief Matt Eberflus era was. But just one last time before the 2026 NFL season begins, a full-on side-by-side comparison of Dallas' Week 1 defensive starters in 2025 needs to be made with the players that the Cowboys will trot out this year.

In a few words, Christian Parker is hardly the only upgrade.

Not only did America's Team get a bit healthier as the last campaign went on, but Jerry Jones and Co. started retooling the defense at the trade deadline, and they pushed their foot on the pedal even harder when the offseason came. This unit is practically unrecognizable from this time last year.

To understand just how far this unit has come in a calendar year, let's break it down, position by position. It's clear that much more than a .500 or so finish is in store for the Cowboys if this defense is even a fraction as improved as it looks to be on paper.

Side-by-side comparison of Cowboys' 2025 and 2026 defenses is jaw-dropping

Defensive improvements, in terms of both staff and personnel, have been a talking point throughout the offseason. But The Athletic's Jon Machota laid it out rather cleanly when displaying the upgrades that Dallas has made since this time last year. And the results should take care of themselves.

Of the 11 defensive starters that the Cowboys put on the field to begin the 2025 season opener vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas fans were hardly attached to any of them going into this year. Of the three lone returners - Kenny Clark, Bland and Hooker - Clark is really the only surefire no-brainer.

Clark was a stalwart last season, and although nothing special as a run defender, his prowess getting after the quarterback was much needed on the interior. He was always going to be a starter again this year, so while this isn't an upgrade, Clark being back is undoubtedly a good thing.

Bland had his ups and downs in 2025, as he always has, but he's prepared to be the No. 1 corner in Dallas once again in 2026. And with Hooker behind him for the fifth straight season now, there is a lot of familiarity between the two, so it's hard to argue that the Cowboys got worse keeping them around.

For what it's worth, though, even Hooker isn't locked into a starting role. According to the team's most recent depth chart release, P.J. Locke is effectively listed as a co-starter. Or Dallas hasn't decided yet. Yet another point in the "this team is way better" bucket.

As far as the new starters go... which of the eight is a downgrade? Because I don't see any.

Cowboys' 2026 defense doesn't have any downgrades compared to 2025

Quinnen Williams is a better player than Osa Odighizuwa; that's why the leadership in Dallas dished the latter and his big contract across the NFC and took the massive dead cap hit that came with it. Odighizuwa is good, sure. But Williams is a transformational player against the run and pass.

Sam Williams was a respectable veteran, but in terms of pure production, he has just 9.5 sacks in three seasons and only 1.0 since the end of the 2023 campaign. Gary has 24.0 and 15.0 sacks in those same timeframes, and he's more of an every-down player who can stop the run, too.

Overshown would have been a starting linebacker last year in Week 1 if he were healthy, but let's not underestimate just how beneficial it is to have a healthy Overshown from the jump this year. Sanborn, Murray and Damone Clark were disasters in coverage and a putrid second line of defense vs. the run.

Adding Winters into the mix makes this linebacker corps more talented than last year, in addition to, at least right now, being healthier. It will be night and day in the middle of the defense, as Overshown and Winters can cover effectively and are precise with their run fits and ID as well.

No bigger upgrade was made than trading out a third linebacker for Caleb Downs, who will be that "super nickel" kind of player in Christian Parker's revamped and much more modern defense. It will help disguise the Cowboys' looks, but also, add an infinitely more talented player to the field.

Downs tackles and helps in the run game like a linebacker, but he covers like a cornerback. He can use his speed and instincts to mirror route-runners, but Downs can also be a ballhawk center fielder. This is a built-in-the-lab player who makes everyone around him better. I'd call that an upgrade.

The fact that Elam actually started a primetime regular season game for Dallas at this time last year shows you just how far this group has come. Yes, Trevon Diggs was hurt, but the depth has changed for the Cowboys, as they now have an honest battle for the starting boundary spot opposite Bland.

Durant won the job, yes, but the idea is that both he and Shavon Revel Jr. will see the field on Sunday Night in Week 1 because they both played well enough to earn reps on the field. Imagine saying that sentence to a Dallas fan in November 2025.

To understand just how important it was to Jerry Jones to find an upgrade over Donovan Wilson, the Cowboys' owner and GM actually spent big money on external free agent Jalen Thompson. That was a trend-bucking thing, and one that was wholly necessary.

Wilson, for all the good moments he had in Dallas, was a linebacker born in a safety's body. He was always a good run defender but failed to do the job in coverage, so Wilson was more of a net negative at times. Thompson, however, is a versatile, productive, high-volume player who can do it all.

And with a better coach and leader, the sky is the limit for this Cowboys defense.

Christian Parker is still the ultimate upgrade over Matt Eberflus for Cowboys

The excitement about Christian Parker hasn't dwindled in Cowboys country, nor should it.

Whereas last year, Dallas' defense was led by Eberflus, who apparently wasn't developing the team's young talent nor putting any fun or modern wrinkles into the defense (what was he doing all summer?), the Cowboys have Parker at the helm, and things are going swimmingly.

Parker is the ultimate defensive upgrade for Dallas in a series of upgrades, as the Vic Fangio defense migrating across the NFC East and taking on a mind of its own under a new young mastermind has fans on the edge of their seat and rightfully expecting big things.

At this time last year, the Cowboys' defense wasn't winning days at training camp. They weren't showing up big in the preseason games or looking like a unit that was not only better than last year, but perhaps way better than their peers. This defense wasn't striking any fear into people.

Now, it is.

So, for as much of a talent influx as Jones provided, perhaps the best decision he made was letting Brian Schottenheimer select Parker. It's hard to say that before he's coached a real game, I know, but it's not going to take much for the unit to be better, and they truly cannot be worse.

With so much more talent in the fold, too, Parker shouldn't have a hard time becoming everything that Cowboys fans want.

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