Jerry Jones is standing by his defensive coordinator, even after one of the worst Dallas Cowboys losses in recent memory.
First-year Cowboys DC Christian Parker drew unwanted attention Thursday as the Cowboys failed to contain a previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. Despite going up against rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, Dallas allowed 419 total yards in a 24-16 defeat at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
While speaking to reporters after the game, Jones, who greenlit Parker’s hiring in January, called any talks of the coordinator’s potential firing “premature.” He was then asked if he still had full confidence in Parker.
“I do. Yes, I do,” Jones said, via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. “He’s sitting there taking it on the shoulders, which goes with the territory, but I feel that he’s competent, and the things that he’s trying to do, I’m going to say it one more time: The thing that probably bothers me the most tonight is how they ran between the tackles so to speak and we’re able to have that running game up in there, where we have a lot of strength. That’s something that we’ve got to really look at and will.”
The Cowboys hired Parker after his successful run with the Philadelphia Eagles, serving as their passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach from 2024 to 2025.
Parker has not had as much success in his first five weeks with the Cowboys, who have allowed all five of their opponents to score 20 points or more.
The Buccaneers game was supposed to be the Cowboys’ chance to buck that trend. Instead, Dallas got dealt a brutal loss against a rookie QB and a rampaging Bucky Irving.
