Cowboys’ Reenergized Defense Is A Match For Elite Offense With Super Bowl Dreams

OXNARD, Calif — New Dallas Cowboys cornerback Cobie Durant knows what a winning culture looks like.

Durant, who spent the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, nearly helped his old team play in their third Super Bowl over the course of a decade this past year. Now, the fifth-year pro is being tasked with helping turn around a Cowboys’ defense that was statistically the worst in football last season — and he’s already making an impact in trying to turn things around.

During an intense, fully padded practice on Sunday, Durant and other Cowboys defensive players celebrated every pass deflection and forced turnover by rushing the field before aggressively trash-talking in the faces of Dallas stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. 

“Every day we come out here, we want to compete at a high level and do your one-eleventh,” Durant told me. “And it’s on display every day we come out here. High energy, everybody doing their part and bringing what we do in the classroom and make it come to life on the field.”

While Durant has brought an energy to the Cowboys’ defense so far in training camp, he’s not the key person who joined Dallas this offseason to revitalize that unit. Defensive whiz and new coordinator Christian Parker has been the heart of the reenergized unit. Parker was hired by the Cowboys to run their defense after serving as the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive backs coach over the last couple of seasons, working under Vic Fangio in Philadelphia and Denver. 

And what has helped Parker form such a quick connection with his unit (which features eight new starters) is his age. The 34-year-old has brought a culture shift, wearing a pair of Jordan 11s, navy blue sweats and a cut-off hoodie with white sleeves while calling plays on a radio along the sideline during practice. 

“That’s dead,” Parker screamed, high-fiving coaches and players nearby as his defense stuffed a red-zone run. 

Durant said not only is Parker detailed, but his youthful energy is infectious. 

“He’s a real players’ coach who’s willing to listen and see what our thoughts are,” Durant, who is only five years younger than Parker, told me. “And also helping us as defensive vets and as a unit. It’s good to have a coach pour into you and allow you to just be you when you’re on the grass.”

“He’s very direct. He knows what he wants out of his guys, and he does a really good job of teaching and communicating,” edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku added about Parker, who is also the youngest defensive coordinator in Cowboys history. “But he’s a cool guy at the same time. He’s very chill, very relatable. He’s got some swag to him.” 

And as the Cowboys’ defense has been fired up and ready to fight back at the offense, Lamb has taken notice. 

“It’s fire, man,” Lamb said. “I embrace it. I love it. It’s good to see your defense come out with that type of energy, that type of fire, that type of aggression early on. And for our offense, they leave us no choice to either bow down or fight back and to get back on top.

“And I know one thing about us: We won’t bow down to anybody.” 

However, Parker had some bumps in his early days at training camp. Parker said he’s not a fan of the flood of access available to fans and media at training camp practices, which includes live streams and videos from 11-on-11 team drills posted on social media by folks in attendance.

Parker noted that he picked up things as a coach for other teams watching those same videos. But owner Jerry Jones isn’t changing his training camp policy — the more eyeballs on his team, the better, and Parker is learning to adjust to the constant attention on “America’s Team.”

But as for on-field matters, one of the key chess pieces for Parker’s defense is first-round pick Caleb Downs, who provides the versatility Pro Bowl defensive back Cooper DeJean offered for the Eagles. The Ohio State product is working at safety and slot cornerback, showing up in pass coverage over the two days I watched practice, including breaking up two passes intended for Lamb.

A physical presence who provides leadership and playmaking ability, Downs is expected to thrive in Parker’s scheme.

“He’s a guy who’s not afraid to fail and is not going to make the same mistake [twice],” Durant told me. “And that’s what you want in this league. When you come in, and you see all these big names, with some guys that could mess with your confidence. With him, it doesn’t faze him.”

And while Parker might not like the amount of access outsiders have at Cowboys camp, the team’s practices have been all about football this year, which is a big change from last year. Gone are the constant headlines generated by the contentious Micah Parsons contract negotiations and eventual trade to the Green Bay Packers.

That’s allowed Brian Schottenheimer to take an old-school approach to practice as he enters his second season as head coach. On Saturday, Schottenheimer lit into coaches and players for what he deemed a lackadaisical approach to the start of practice.

“I just felt like the energy was a little bit off,” Schottenheimer said. “I felt like we broke stretch in bag (drills) and went to circuit drills, and the coaches weren’t as organized as I thought they should be. And so, I’m always going to point out what I feel. And I think they got the message and ended up putting together a hell of a practice.”

Schottenheimer also has players run gassers at the end of practice for extra conditioning. 

“It’s probably painful because you just did a whole practice,” receiver George Pickens said about the end-of-practice conditioning. “But definitely conditioning is another component of the game that can definitely give you an edge over guys.” 

Obviously, the Cowboys hope that those conditioning drills will be part of what gets them over the hump as they seek their first Super Bowl title in over three decades. Prescott has made it clear in the opening weeks of training camp that he and the team have the Lombardi Trophy in their sights, going as far as to say he’s “manifesting” it to happen. 

Parker, Schottenheimer and Prescott will get a good test of where those dreams stand during a joint practice against the Rams at Los Angeles’ Woodland Hills headquarters on Tuesday. Last year, the Cowboys were overwhelmed by the Rams’ bevy of playmakers, with Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams going up and down the field for scores in a foreshadowing of what was to come in 2025.

Durant is hoping for a different result against his former team this year. 

“I’m overly excited,” Durant told me. “I went up against that offense for four years. It’s a high-powered offense. You got Matthew Stafford, the running backs in the backfield and the wide receiver core — it’s a sight to see when you’re in practice going up against it.

“But now I’m here with the Dallas Cowboys, running a new defense with new guys on this defense. And now you’ll actually get to see what the guy next to you is really about, going against another offense.”

And Schottenheimer is highly anticipating Tuesday’s practice, too. 

“I want to see these guys play,” Schottenheimer said. “I want to see the same passion and play style that they do against our guys. I want to see them do it against them. But it’s a building block, another ramp-up.”