Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker, center, is seen on the sidelines in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Arlington.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
The fallout from the Cowboys‘ stunning loss to the Buccaneers continues, as Dallas is planning a series of defensive changes after Thursday night’s defeat.
Team owner Jerry Jones announced during his Tuesday appearance on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) that defensive coordinator Christian Parker will move from the sideline to the coaching booth.
On Monday, coach Brian Schottenheimer announced that veteran NFL coach Mike Pettine is joining the staff as a senior defensive assistant.
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“You search for what we can do differently that would give us better results. We’re going to coach the defense from above, not from the field,” Jones said of Parker’s move.
The Cowboys owner denied that Parker has been overwhelmed in his first year as defensive coordinator, but he said the team needs to give him help.
“I don’t think that’s the right word, [overwhelmed]. I think he’s covering a lot of ground, and I had mentioned when the season started, I’ve never been involved in this much change on the defensive side of the ball — or the offensive side of the ball, either. But I’ve never been involved in this much change except for our first year in pro football.”
The loss to the Buccaneers certainly shook the Cowboys, who began the season with high expectations.
Jalon Daniels, the undrafted rookie filling in for injured quarterback Baker Mayfield, completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards.
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On the ground, Bucky Irving piled up 165 yards. It was his first 100-yard game since his rookie season in 2024.
The Buccaneers totaled 415 yards in their 24-16 win over the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
“I’m obviously disappointed in our results so far, but I think that we’re a long way down the road,” Jones said. “I think that we’re better off than that, but we are back to square one relative to what it looks like at this point relative to last year.”
Moving Parker to the coaching booth doesn’t necessarily guarantee success.
Last season, the Cowboys made the same move with then-defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus but saw no visible improvement. At the end of the season, they let Eberflus go and replaced him with Parker.
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Jones said Pettine’s arrival should help the Cowboys improve their struggling defense.
Dallas ranks 31st in total defense, allowing 395.4 yards per game, and 21st against the pass, giving up 227 yards per game. The team’s biggest problem has been stopping the run. Dallas ranks last in the NFL, allowing 168.4 rushing yards per game.
The defense is also giving up 6.38 yards per play, the most in the league. The Cowboys are allowing 27.2 points per game, the eighth worst average in the NFL.
Pettine, 60, was with the Minnesota Vikings from 2022 to 2025, working as an assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach. He has also served as defensive coordinator for the New York Jets (2009-12), Buffalo Bills (2013) and Green Bay Packers (2018-20). He was the Browns’ head coach for two seasons, from 2014 to 2015.
Pettine was Green Bay’s defensive coordinator when Parker worked there as a quality control coach.
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Schottenheimer said Parker was on board with bringing Pettine to Dallas.
“He’s gonna be here in a role to support everything that [Parker] is leading and guiding,” Schottenheimer told reporters Monday. “Really, really excited. They worked together in Green Bay, and this is actually something that CP and I talked about when we first hired him.”
Jones believes Pettine can give the Cowboys the defensive stability they need to have a winning record and contend for the NFC East title.
“We’ve just added Mike Pettine to our coaching staff, and that was something that we would have done had we had the opportunity earlier,” Jones said. “He’ll be a good addition and work there with Coach Parker to get this defense going.”
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