Cowboys have an obvious decision to make after hiring Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator

Step 1: Hire a new defensive coordinator. Check.

That was always going to be how the Dallas Cowboys' path toward rebuilding their historically bad defense from the 2025 NFL season. With the team agreeing to terms with Christian Parker to be their next DC, that's out of the way. But there's a lot more left to be done.

The Cowboys defense lacks talent in every defensive position except defensive tackle and this offseason will require the front office to get busy. Edge rushers, linebackers, and safeties are needed. But when you look at Parker's resume, it's clear what the obvious step the team needs to take really is: They need to prioritize getting him a cornerback.

The Parker recipe: Get a CB

Parker, formerly the Philadelphia Eagles pass game coordinator and defensive backs for the Denver Broncos before that, is somewhat of an All-Pro factory when it comes to corners. At Philly, he majorly contributed to Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell earning All-Pro honors in their second year in the league. Years earlier, he did the same with Patrick Surtain II in Denver.

Now granted, though Parker deserves plenty of credit with his success developing three All-Pro corners like that, Surtain II and Mitchell were first-round picks and Mitchell was considered a steal in the second round. In other words, his teams provided him quality players to develop.

The Cowboys must do the same. Fortunately, they have a couple of first-round picks to take care of such a task.

NFL Draft should give Dallas a shot

Regardless of who they hired as DC, the Cowboys were already expected to target a cornerback early in the NFL Draft. This year's class presents the Cowboys with a few quality options in the first round, in which they'll be picking at No. 12 and No. 20 overall. Below are some options.

• Mansoor Delane, LSU: A sticky corner in man coverage that always seems to know what receivers will do at their release, and isn't afraid to attack the football. He also plays zone efficiently and tackles well.
• Jermod McCoy, Tennessee: Though he hasn't played since the 2024 season due to an ACL injury, McCoy is considered a Top 15 prospect by many due to his ball-hawk skillset. He could be a Day 1 starter as long as he's healthy.
• Avieon Terrell, Clemson: Undersized but physical cornerback that can play inside or outside, which should be huge for a Cowboys defense that needs both.
• Late-round options: Brandon Cisse (South Carolina), Colton Hood (Tennessee)

Expert projects Cowboys to take McCoy in 3-round mock draft

• In our latest 3-round mock draft, our NFL Draft expert Ryan Roberts projected the Cowboys to pick McCoy as the first corner off the board with pick No. 12
• “If healthy, there is a strong argument that McCoy is a top-5 overall player in the 2026 class. There are a lot of similarities to Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl cornerback Jayce Horn. Press-man cornerbacks who can run will always have major value.” – Roberts

Free agent options at CB

Now, though the Cowboys' first-round selections should be very valuable, waiting around until April to address this need would be foolish. Below are some of the top free agents at cornerback the Cowboys should look into:

• Alontae Taylor, New Orleans Saints
• Riq Woolen, Seattle Seahawks
• Jaylen Watson, Kansas City Chiefs
• Greg Newsome II, Jacksonville Jaguars

Be it through the NFL Draft or free agency, and probably both, the Cowboys need to give Parker weapons to work with. And his track record suggests he can get the job done with corners. Expect it to be a priority this offseason.

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