The Miami Dolphins hired Jeff Hafley this past week, and he's immediately eyed several Dallas Cowboys coordinators and coaches for his first coaching staff in South Florida. And yet, Christian Parker's hiring as the new DC on Thursday gives the team no reason to worry.
In fact, not needing to worry about who'll replace Matt Eberflus anymore will make the Cowboys' offseason much easier to navigate. After all, instead of finding a new DC, they can focus on retaining their own coaches, who are garnering attention this cycle.
Per ESPN's Todd Archer, "The Dolphins have requested permission to speak with Cowboys assistant special teams coach Carlos Polk for their special teams coordinator opening, per source. No word yet on if Miami has asked yet about QB coach Steve Shimko, who was Jeff Hafley’s OC at Boston College."
Had the team still been searching for their defensive coordinator, Hafley's desire to poach several coaches would be a major deal. With Parker in tow, though, owner/general manager Jerry Jones and Co. could focus on retaining/replacing Polk and Shimko.
Christian Parker Brings Stability to Cowboys Coaching Staff This Offseason
Forget how promising Parker looks, which is hard to do after the job he did as the Philadelphia Eagles' passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach the past two years. The Cowboys' offseason was just saved. Lord knows the Jones Family would've made life very difficult for everyone in the organization had there been a mad dash to replace two assistants while trying to hire a defensive coordinator.
Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan revealed before Dallas's DC decision that whoever the Cowboys would end up hiring would be a long-term fixture with the team, and not just another one-year stopgap option as they've had for the better part of the decade.
"I don't think they're going to go six coordinators in six years or whatever it is. So, that's the other upside of this is that if you get hired here, you probably have the job for a little bit, too," Belt on Tuesday.
Parker is the perfect guy to be patient with. He's only had two seasons not as a position coach or an analyst, spent under Vic Fangio in Philly. Expecting him to be the best DC in the league would be unfair immediately, giving him fewer expectations and a chance to be a pleasant surprise.
Given how low the bar is after Eberflus' one year running the show (into the ground) defensively, Parker is almost certain to give fans hope. He's young, comes from a successful franchise, and wasn't a 14-32 head coach.
Dallas didn't need to waste time with another "established" DC option like Eberflus or Mike Zimmer, who wasn't seen as a must-have candidate anywhere else. Parker is the perfect option as an aspiring up-and-comer.
A surprisingly competent move by the Jones family should make the rest of the offseason easier.