The 2026 season was supposed to be the Dallas Cowboys‘ year, with owner Jerry Jones expressing confidence in his team’s ability. However, five weeks into the season, the Cowboys aren’t looking promising as they stand at a 2-3 record, which has prompted some changes from the owner himself.
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In his recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones revealed that the Cowboys are moving first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker up to the booth. However, now, he acknowledged that the unit still needs time to evolve if they want to turn their season around.
“We’re evolving, but [there’s] probably a little more time needed than I had anticipated when we made these changes this year,” Jones said, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota on X.
The highlight of the Cowboys has been their underwhelming defensive performance so far. Under Parker, the unit ranks near the bottom of the league, allowing at least 395.4 yards per game.
At the same time, the pass rush has been non-existent, and the defense was most recently humiliated by a winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that racked up 241 rushing yards.
Jerry Jones has publicly expressed severe frustration. But simultaneously, he is also attempting to project control through structural coaching changes rather than a complete overhaul.
Take the decision to move Parker from the field up to the coaches’ booth for a better vantage point as an example. On top of that, to steady the ship, the team brought veteran coach Mike Pettine out of retirement to serve as a senior defensive assistant and sounding board for Parker.
Following these moves, Jerry Jones believes the Cowboys need a bit more time to adjust and improve. Even head coach Brian Schottenheimer pointed to some changes coming to the roster.
“I’m not going to get to a bunch of them. Obviously, there’s a competitive advantage. But there’ll be some roster adjustments you guys will see. Some will be more noticeable than others, and some will be subtle as you look at it,” Schottenheimer said, per Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com.
Coming into the 2026 season, Jones & Co. made several changes to the roster that made him confident about the team’s ability to claim the Lombardi.
The biggest flaw in the Cowboys’ 2025 unit was their defense. Despite elite production from Dak Prescott and the offense, the team finished a disappointing 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs entirely, with the defense allowing a franchise-record 511 points (30.1 points per game), finishing last in the NFL.
Hence, coming into the 2026 season, Jones & Co. replaced Matt Eberflus with Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator. Dallas also weaponized the draft assets they received from trading away Micah Parsons.
They traded a 2027 fourth-round draft pick to the Green Bay Packers to land star pass rusher Rashan Gary. They also packaged a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and Mazi Smith to the New York Jets in exchange for star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to shore up their interior run defense.
Looking to cure their deep coverage issues, the Dallas Cowboys acquired star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers after three weeks into the season as well.
But as things stand, Jones’ team remains entwined with their shaky run, where they are yet to win consecutive games. Next up, the Cowboys face the Packers on October 18, where Jones will again hope for a better output from the team.