Christian Parker is the new man in charge of the Dallas Cowboys' defense, and one of the areas where his immediate attention will need to be placed is the secondary. While the defense as a whole for Dallas left plenty to be desired during the 2025 campaign, the back end needs the same type of tweaking fans saw to the defensive line at the trade deadline, when Quinnen Williams was brought to town.
Beyond a promise from owner/general manager Jerry Jones that money will be spent on improving this roster during the offseason, we haven't heard many defensive backs linked to the Cowboys with free agency set to open on March 11.
That should change after Friday's release of Taron Johnson by the Buffalo Bills.
As first reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Bills have decided to release Johnson ahead of the new league year as a cost-saving move. This should serve him up to Parker on a silver platter, as the new defensive coordinator has gone on the record saying how important he views the exact position Johnson became an All-Pro at during his tenure in Buffalo: nickel cornerback.
Bills Releasing Taron Johnson Provides Dallas a Perfect Nickel CB Option
"Very important," Parker said of the nickel position during his introductory press conference, via the Cowboys' official YouTube page. "That guy, he's a corner sometimes, he's a safety sometimes, he's a backer sometimes. He's a defensive end when he's blitzing. You want to have a guy who has natural instincts and ability to feel the game and play football."
If Parker is that big a believer in needing a difference-maker at the nickel corner position, much like he had with the Philadelphia Eagles, then pursuing Johnson on the open market seems like a no-brainer for the front office.
As noted by Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN, no NFL team used a nickel cornerback more than Buffalo (83.4 percent) going back to the 2020 season. Now, with Jim Leonhard calling the shots in Buffalo, a shift in defensive philosophy appears to have pushed the 2023 All-Pro selection out the door.
While this past season wasn't Johnson's best, he won't turn 30 years old until the end of July, and should still have plenty of good football ahead of him. The Bills cutting bait with him now, despite having recorded 572 tackles, 48 passes defended, and six interceptions over 113 games in Buffalo, opens the door for Parker and the Cowboys to swoop in and sign him to a contract.
Cooper DeJean was never going to follow Parker from the City of Brotherly Love to Dallas, but landing Johnson after the Bills elected to let him go would be a more than fine consolation prize for the Cowboys as they reshape this secondary.