The Dallas Cowboys have undergone a complete defensive overhaul since the end of last season. After a dreadful campaign where they ranked near the bottom of the league in every statistic, they’ve hired a new coach and signed new players. They even spent their first-round pick on Caleb Downs, a supposed stud safety out of Ohio State. It’s getting many analysts to buy into the team going into 2026.
One of those analysts is Dominique Foxworth of ESPN. The former defensive back believes the Cowboys' new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, will help a ton. He also likes all of the weapons they’ve added, such as Rashan Gary, Otito Ogbonnia, and Dee Winters.
“I think it starts with the coach and going into a more cover-4, Fangio-style of defense. And I think adding the weapons up front. I think it will improve their defensive ability to stop the run,” Foxworth said on Get Up.
Stopping the run is key for the Cowboys
While the Cowboys struggled to stop opposing teams through the air last year, one could argue that their ability to stop the run was worse. They allowed 4.7 yards per rush, 125.5 rushing yards a game, and a league-worst 1.4 rushing touchdowns a game. It’s an area that Dallas and Parker need to focus on this upcoming season.
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Some of the best teams in the league right now have defenses that can consistently stop the run. The teams that allowed the lowest in all of 2025 were the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Houston Texans. All of which were playoff teams, and one even won the Super Bowl. One of Jerry Jones' many mantras was to stop the run. Foxworth says that can happen this season.
That’s where it all starts for everyone; you have to stop the run first before you do anything else. It’s going to be their focal point in training camp: figuring out how they can consistently stop the run and then build from there.
It’ll be interesting to see how Parker’s scheme works once the season starts. In Philadelphia, he was a defensive backs coach. The tight coverage from those players on the back end would lead to “coverage sacks” for the defensive front. If he can transfer that scheme over effectively, defense could maybe be a strength for the Cowboys this upcoming season.
For some players in the new Cowboys system, though, this will be a make-or-break season. It’s going to be an adapt-to-survive mentality for this defense if they want to keep their jobs. With the preseason less than a month away, fans will need to pay close attention to the final roster cuts to get a better understanding of how the defense will want to operate this year.
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