Christian Parker feels his unit is putting it all together.
“I think it’s a very urgent group and a group that is hungry for knowledge and hungry for getting pushed, and they want to have collective success,” Parker said. “We don’t have any selfish guys. We have a bunch of guys who want to do it together. They want to learn.”
In the past, Parker has worked under some of the best defensive minds in the NFL. While with the Philadelphia Eagles, Parker learned under and won a Super Bowl with Vic Fangio. In Denver, he worked for another widely-respected defensive play caller in Vance Joseph. Even though it’s his first time running his own defense, Parker’s predecessors helped prepare him to do it his way.
“I’ve had great examples to learn from and I was always paying attention and picking their brains on that,” Parker said. “So it’s not like I was shocked at some of the things that I had to do because I’ve always been engaged and I’ve always been involved in that in some capacity, being the title that I’ve held for the past couple years with different guys. They’ve allowed me to be involved in their process, which I try to do with our staff as well.”
One of the more noticeable differences Parker pointed out in making the jump from a position coach and pass game coordinator to a defensive coordinator is recognizing his organization doesn’t just affect him, but his staff and their families. With that, he and his assistant coaches build plans in advance down to the smallest of details.
It resembles the way that Parker wants things to be run both for him and his staff, but also for the players: Being deliberate about how they do everything.
“If it’s simple, it’s important,” Parker said. “So how are we tackling? How are we getting off blocks? How are we breaking the huddle? What is our sideline etiquette to get back and get subs in and out of the game? And then what is the foundation of how we want to kill blocks, tackle the football, play with great eyes and great communication?”
“You can start with that from a walkthrough, I can go to HEB and find somebody who can at least do those things. So we want to go and find the foundation of what we do simple and then allow them to play with a clear mind to express their God-given abilities. And this group has been very intent on doing that at a high level.”
George Pickens being present at mandatory minicamp is up in the air.
When it comes to Dallas Cowboys football, it’s easy to get your hopes up. That’s true whether we’re talking about a regular season game, Super Bowl hopes, and yes, even mandatory minicamp attendance.
For a minute there, it seemed like wide receiver George Pickens and the Cowboys would get some smooth sailing when the team reports to mandatory minicamp next Tuesday. But the latest Pickens “quote” is certainly not promising.
Pickens non-committal to showing up to Cowboys minicamp
Cowboys insider Nick Harris from the Fort Worth Star-Telegramrecently interviewed Pickens at a youth camp held in Corpus Christi Texas. Though the star receiver didn’t provide a single word in response, his answer was sort of clear.
“Pickens gave a shrug with an ‘uhhhh’ before a representative of his agency cut him off to say he would not be answering any more questions,” Harris wrote.
I am no behavioral psychologist nor do I want to be. But under a week away from minicamp, that doesn’t seem like the kind of answer you get from a player trying to attend. And it’s certainly a shift from what Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said earlier in the week, indicating he expected Pickens at minicamp.
Now, it’s clear Schottenheimer’s messaging is that of a coach talking about mandatory practices. Of course he expects all players to be there. Last year, the Cowboys head coach said the same about Micah Parsons, and the latter did report. But that was an entirely different situation with an ongoing contract negotiation.
This time, Pickens and the Cowboys know an extension isn’t getting done in 2026 because Stephen Jones announced it to the world prior to the NFL Draft.
A deeper look into what was learned during Cowboys OTAs.
Decobie/Cobie Durant and the slot
When you enter the Cowboys’ locker room and see the nameplate Decobie Durant on one of the lockers, you begin to ask questions. Cowboys cornerback Cobie Durant says his real first name is Decobie. Growing up, his parents called him Cobie, and that stuck into adulthood. Now when it comes to football, Durant is one of several players being viewed for the slot position in the nickel defense. The Cowboys have been searching for a full-time slot corner since Jourdan Lewis left for Jacksonville in free agency.
“It’s a challenge,” Durant said of playing the slot. “Each time you line up in the slot you got more field to worry about. But different types of defenses will put you in positions to win. Knowing your leverage, you can’t lose from your leverage. If you got help [or] don’t got help. It’s a lot that goes on that nickel and you also got to play in the run game.”
First-round pick on special teams
During an OTA practice on Tuesday, first-round safety Caleb Downs worked on special teams. He fielded punts and was also a punt personal protector. All of this is just about creating depth at those positions. KaVontae Turpin is the main punt returner, but personal protector is a position that needs filling after the departures of C.J. Goodwin and Juanyeh Thomas.
Downs fielded punts at Ohio State but has never been a personal protector.
“It’s completely new, but shoutout Nate Ebner,” said Downs, referring to the Ohio State quality control special teams coach who played for two NFL teams on special teams. “He told me I was going to be doing that when I was at Ohio State. So that’s how he made his way in the league, playing special teams and he was a leader on punt, being the PP. So he gave me some nuggets when I was at O-State a couple months back, so it’s been good.”
This is what you want to see from Jaydon Blue.
It was easy to look at Jaydon Blue’s talent coming out of the University of Texas and talk yourself into him being a big contributor as a rookie.
It was a slow burn, but it eventually became clear why Blue hardly saw the field. While Blue’s talent screamed immediate contributor, his maturity said otherwise. As such, he’s got a lot of eyes on him this offseason, including an entire fanbase that is eager to learn if he’s grown up.
It certainly seems like he has. Schottenheimer and Cowboys reporters have had nothing but positive reviews throughout the offseason, and Blue himself recently detailed the new-and-improved mindset he’s bringing into Year 2 (h/t Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com)
“I didn’t start off like I should’ve,” Blue said. “Whether it was not practicing the right way, or on a maturity level, I think I wasn’t really there. But, now, learning from all the vets and having the offseason that I’ve had, I think I’m ready to go.”
“I’m a completely different person than I was this time last year. … I think I made a whole 180 from where I was last year. I’ve gotten a lot better. …”
Daily discussion question: What was your favorite Cowboys game last season besides the Eagles and Chiefs wins?
