{"id":134791,"date":"2026-01-23T07:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T07:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134791\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T07:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T07:10:18","slug":"after-missing-out-on-past-up-and-coming-dcs-jerry-jones-cowboys-couldnt-let-this-one-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134791\/","title":{"rendered":"After missing out on past up-and-coming DCs, Jerry Jones, Cowboys couldn\u2019t let this one go"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christian Parker brings a promising resume to Dallas<\/a> for his first gig as a defensive coordinator. Better still if he brought Patrick Surtain II or Cooper DeJean or Quinyon Mitchell, defensive backs he\u2019s coached along the way. Hard to screw up good material, though Jerry Jones somehow manages.<\/p>\n

On one hand, give Jerry credit for recognizing the potential of a young Eagles assistant who\u2019s learned under one of the league\u2019s best defensive coordinators<\/a> in Vic Fangio.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, where was Jerry\u2019s foresight when he let a bright defensive line coach leave for Seattle with DeMarcus Lawrence on his tail?<\/p>\n

In case you\u2019re unaware: Aden Durde, coordinator of the league\u2019s third-ranked defense, worked for the Joneses from 2021-\u201923, and D-Law is the guy who made everybody crazy after he left last spring saying the Seahawks had a shot at the Super Bowl and the Cowboys didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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Can I call \u201cScoreboard\u201d?<\/p>\n

Seattle is in the NFC title game,<\/a> something D-Law hadn\u2019t experienced in 11 seasons in Dallas, while the Cowboys\u2019 streak remains as unbreakable as Cal Ripken\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Seattle\"Seattle<\/p>\n

Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde walks on the sideline before an NFL football divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 in Seattle. (AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson)<\/p>\n

Lindsey Wasson \/ AP<\/p>\n

Before going any further, let me apologize on behalf of the local media for complaining all year about the defensive end who got away and forgetting about the other one.<\/p>\n

Micah Parsons had a heck of a season for the Packers, all right, collecting All-Pro honors despite missing three games after blowing out his knee.<\/p>\n

But Lawrence was no slouch for the Seahawks. Started 16 of 17 games at 33 after signing a team-friendly, three-year, $32.5 million deal. Earned a $500,000 bonus for his fifth Pro Bowl after finishing second on the team in sacks with six and leading the Seahawks in tackles for losses with 11.<\/p>\n

Pro Football Focus ranked him 11th among defensive ends, just ahead of Trey Hendrickson and a couple spots better than Maxx Crosby.<\/p>\n

But, as was always the case with D-Law and a Cowboys fan base that often didn\u2019t get it, the numbers don\u2019t do him justice.<\/p>\n

No Cowboy practiced or played harder over his 11 seasons here. He was reliable, responsible and accountable. Like when he stood his ground after saying he wouldn\u2019t have won a Super Bowl had he remained in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Parsons took exception on X<\/a>, citing \u201crejection\u201d and \u201cenvy\u201d and calling it \u201csome serious clown\u201d stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalling me a clown won\u2019t change the fact that I told the truth,\u201d Lawrence responded on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn\u2019t have left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here we are, nearly a year later, and I\u2019m guessing Parsons is down with D-Law at this point.<\/p>\n

Anyway, if you listen to Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks\u2019 head coach, Lawrence is one of the key reasons they\u2019re one win from a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe football player, the traits of how he plays, is what we expected,\u201d Macdonald said last week. \u201cComing in, being a rugged, dominant, disruptive player on early downs. Then how he rushed the passer in terms of setting other people up in pass rush, things like that, that\u2019s consistent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just appreciate the person that he is every day and the competitor he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence conceded in a presser last week that he\u2019s better \u201caligned\u201d physically, mentally and spiritually this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you really want to understand what I meant by not being able to win in Dallas,\u201d he said, \u201cthat\u2019s what I meant. My window of opportunity is short. I\u2019m here, but, also, what do I do?<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I sit on the sideline and wait, or do I still go and chase my dream? That\u2019s why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reason he\u2019s in Seattle is because the Cowboys thought he was too old and expensive. They made the same mistake with DeMarcus Ware, who went to two more Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl as a Bronco. Chances are Lawrence will do the same with the Seahawks.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) talks with defensive line coach Aden Durde defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90), defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) and defensive end Chauncey Golston (99) on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. <\/p>\n

Smiley N. Pool \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

He credited Durde, his coach in Dallas, for a \u201cbig part\u201d of his reason for signing with Seattle. If you were getting your first gig as a DC, you\u2019d have made the same pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great football player,\u201d Durde said last week. \u201cHe plays the game the way it\u2019s meant to be played.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any good coach knows you\u2019re only as good as your players, but coaches count, and it seems as if Durde is better than the Joneses thought. He interned with the Cowboys and worked under Dan Quinn, a pretty good mentor, but they didn\u2019t give any serious thought to elevating him after Quinn left. Macdonald, who still calls the defensive plays in Seattle, saw more in Durde than Jerry did. Now he\u2019s getting interviews for head coaching positions.<\/p>\n

And it wasn\u2019t just Durde, either. Jerry didn\u2019t promote Al Harris when he had the chance, and now he\u2019s interviewing for DC jobs with the Commanders and Packers. Parker only got the job because Jerry no longer believes a DC had to be a head coach first. This is how he learns, from his mistakes. You\u2019d think he\u2019d be a genius by now.<\/p>\n

Twitter\/X: @KSherringtonDMN<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Republican<\/a>Letters to the Editor \u2014 Dallas GOP, voting challenges, DART, American history, Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n

Readers blame the Dallas GOP for voting chaos; say voting should be easy; support DART; remember some American history; and still hope for a Super Bowl for the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

\"Denver<\/a>Who is Christian Parker? 5 things to know about Cowboys\u2019 new defensive coordinator<\/a><\/p>\n

Dallas hires the promising defensive mind away from division rival Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\"Philadelphia<\/a>Christian Parker breaks trend of Cowboys\u2019 recent DC hires, and that may not be a bad thing<\/a><\/p>\n

After allowing the most points in franchise history last season, the franchise needed to do something different.<\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christian Parker brings a promising resume to Dallas for his first gig as a defensive coordinator. Better still…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134792,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[7581,57210,2353,1044,102,113,104,103,57548,2638,7702,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-134791","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-brian-schottenheimer","9":"tag-christian-parker","10":"tag-commentary","11":"tag-cowboys","12":"tag-dallas","13":"tag-dallas-cowboys","14":"tag-dallas-headlines","15":"tag-dallas-news","16":"tag-demarcus-lawrence","17":"tag-jerry-jones","18":"tag-micah-parsons","19":"tag-nfl"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}