Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb lauded defensive coordinator Christian Parker's new scheme, calling it "annoying" to practice against.
"It's been annoying to prepare against, but obviously just seeing it in practice every day ... it's kind of unique," Lamb told NFL Network's Jane Slater.
"Just seeing different guys communicate and being able to understand and take what they learn from the meeting room and being able to easily translate it on the field. It's good to go against. It's very tricky."
Dallas dismissed Matt Eberflus in January after one year as defensive coordinator. Dallas' offense ranked fifth in points per game, but Eberflus' unit struggled all season and was a big reason the club missed the playoffs with a 7-9-1 record.
The Cowboys' minus-151.41 total defensive EPA was the worst in the league and the fifth-worst mark for a defense in a single season since 2000, according to TruMedia.
Parker, 34, spent the last two campaigns working under Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, serving as the team's defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. He helped develop cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who both received first-team All-Pro nominations in 2025.
The Eagles played just 2.1% of their snaps in Cover 2 last year, the lowest rate in the NFL, while Dallas' 18.8% rate was the fourth highest in the league, per TruMedia.
"I'll tell you, when you have the challenges we had last year, there's no place to go but up on the defensive side of the ball," owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in March, according to Cowboys website writer Tommy Yarish. "Had we played a lick of defense last year, we would've had ourselves, I think, a real playoff run."
The Cowboys were also active in upgrading their defensive personnel this offseason. They traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for veteran pass-rusher Rashan Gary, who's recorded 24 sacks over the last three seasons.
They also made a splash in the 2026 NFL Draft by taking defensive back Caleb Downs with the 11th overall selection. Downs was considered one of the best players in the draft after two stellar seasons at Ohio State.
