Jan. 23, 2026, 11:07 a.m. MT
A former Denver Broncos defensive backs coach just landed a defensive coordinator job.
The Dallas Cowboys are hiring Christian Parker as their new DC, which could impact Sean Payton’s own coaching staff (more on that shortly). Parker coached Philadelphia Eagles DBs from 2024-2025 under DC Vic Fangio. Before that, Parker coached Denver’s DBs from 2021-2023, spending one season with Fangio.
The Cowboys hiring Parker means the Broncos are no longer in danger of losing current DBs coach Jim Leonhard to Dallas. Leonhard had drawn interest from the Cowboys (and he’s still drawing interest from other teams). If Denver ends up losing DC Vance Joseph to a head coach opening this offseason, Leonhard would presumably be a strong in-house candidate to replace him with the Broncos.
Back to Parker: Denver cornerback Pat Surtain reacted to the news of his promotion on Twitter/X:
Former Broncos safety Justin Simmons also endorsed Parker:
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Elsewhere in the division, former Los Angeles Chargers DC Jesse Minter has left the AFC West to become the new head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Denver will undoubtedly be happy to see Minter no longer coaching in the division.
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