With most groups, there are a number of causes for in-season collapses.
For the 2025 Dallas Cowboys? You didn’t want Inspector Poirot to infer that the whole lot that went incorrect needed to do with the protection.
Matt Eberflus’ “Back to the 1990s” stale schemes created miscommunications and busts that have been pretty epic, particularly contemplating the expertise Eberflus needed to work with. It was one of many worst teaching jobs in current NFL historical past, and it confirmed on the sphere. Dallas ranked useless final in Defensive DVOA by an absolute landslide, they usually allowed the NFL’s third-most yards (6,409), the second-most yards per play (6.1), the second-most passing touchdowns (35), probably the most speeding touchdowns (24, tied with the Buffalo Payments), the third-fewest turnovers (12), and probably the most factors allowed (511).
Eberflus even proved incapable of maximizing the inside trio of Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa after the Williams commerce on November 4, which ought to have been grounds for dismissal in and of itself.
This, by the best way, is how a staff rating eighth in Offensive DVOA winds up with a 7-9-1 report and no postseason.
Firing Eberflus in January was one of many best selections Jerry Jones and Firm ever made, and the transfer to switch him with former Philadelphia Eagles passing sport coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker is very intriguing. As a Vic Fangio acolyte, Parker is greater than prepared to pull this protection into the twenty first century, with all of the bells and buzzwords. Stunts in addition to blitzes, a number of protection ideas, and gamers who can carry out totally different duties at totally different positions. The protection will look very totally different each by way of personnel and idea.
“Sometimes we talk too much about scheme as coaches and players, and less about the play style,” Parker stated in February. “What do we want that to look like? What are our principles of play? How are we taking on blocks, how are we tackling, how are we leveraging routes on the back end, and how are we talking the ball away? How are we situationally aware? I think that’s where it starts from a Football 101 education standpoint. As we kind of put all that together, then you kind of get into the scheme.”
Soccer 101 can be a large enchancment on that aspect of the ball, as a result of Parker has a number of attention-grabbing gamers to work with — and two of the brand new guys make our Hidden Gems piece, with one underrated veteran, one underrated free agent, and one underrated draft choose.
However as we take a look at the Cowboys’ Secret Superstars for the 2026 season, we have now to start out with a buzzy man within the receiver room.
Underrated veteran: WR Ryan Flournoy
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 21: Dallas Cowboys large receiver Ryan Flournoy (19) catches a landing cross in the course of the sport between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers on December 21, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Photograph by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs) Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are clearly the Cowboys’ prime receivers, however Ryan Flournoy introduced his presence with authority at occasions in the course of the 2025 season in ways in which grabbed some nationwide consideration. No one actually anticipated that when Dallas took the 6’2, 205-pound Flournoy with the 217th choose within the sixth spherical of the 2024 draft — he had bounced from Central Missouri State to Iowa Western to Southeast Missouri State, the place he grabbed 121 catches on 207 targets for 1,841 yards and 14 touchdowns over two seasons in 2022 and 2023. The Redhawks aren’t precisely teeming with NFL expertise from an alumni standpoint, however Flournoy seems able to ascend.
He had simply 10 catches on 14 targets for 102 yards in his rookie season, however in 2025, as accidents to different receivers sophisticated issues, Flournoy stood up. The primary time we actually noticed it was in his Week 5 sport in opposition to the New York Jets, when he caught six passes on eight targets for 114 yards. Then, in Week 14 in opposition to the Detroit Lions, Flouroy bombed Kelvin Sheppard’s protection for 9 catches on 13 targets for 115 yards and a landing. Able to beating defenders with velocity and route acumen, and with a knack for getting bodily to get open within the timing of the down, Flournoy regarded each bit an NFL receiver when given the chance.
The general stat line was affected by alternative — 40 catches on 53 targets for 475 yards and 4 touchdowns — however whether or not within the slot or outdoors, and with a full route tree at his disposal, Flournoy proved his mettle in an excellent passing sport.
“For me, it was important just to step into a leadership role in the room,” Flournoy stated in June of his 2025 season. “CeeDee and GP, great guys. Phenomenal football players, I learned a lot from them. For them to miss [time], and for me to take the No.1 role, it was fun while it lasted. Just keep working hard, that’s literally my whole mindset.
“I’m just out there playing freely. I know what’s on the play sheet, I know the calls, I know what play to run. For me, I’m not out there thinking, I’m just out there executing.”
Underrated free agent: Security Jalen Thompson
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – JANUARY 5: Security Jalen Thompson #34 of the Arizona Cardinals defends in protection in the course of the first half of an NFL soccer sport in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium on January 5, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photograph by Brooke Sutton/Getty Photographs) Getty Photographs
Okay, let’s get to the protection. Particularly, how the safeties will likely be deployed in Parker’s playbook. Fangio has been a grasp of defensive again utilization for eons, and Parker discovered from one of the best. Now, with Caleb Downs as the apparent do-it-all man, and Malik Hooker because the established deep security, will probably be fascinating to see how the Cowboys use former Arizona Cardinals DB Jalen Thompson after the seven-year veteran signed a three-year, $33 million contract with $22 million assured, and a most worth of $36 million.
Thompson has been successfully versatile all through his NFL profession, and even in a 2025 Cardinals protection that didn’t all the time make sense, he remained a tone-setter. 43% of his snaps final season got here as a single-high security, 25% got here as a slot defender, 18% as a field defender, and 14% got here as a cut up security. So, if you happen to have been to think about Thompson’s final function as tying Downs and Hooker collectively, that is likely to be the appropriate concept.
General in 2025, the 5’11, 190-pound Thompson allowed 30 catches on 46 targets for 303 yards, 120 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, no interceptions, 5 cross breakups, and an opponent passer ranking of 98.4. He additionally had one sack in simply 15 pass-rushing makes an attempt, 72 solo tackles, and 10 stops.
The tape was higher than the metrics, particularly in protection. Thompson’s means to flash from the road of scrimmage into the deep third is probably going one thing Parker will use with gusto, because it’s an alpha trait.
”A bodily security, a security that may do just about the whole lot,” Thompson stated in March, when requested what he brings to the protection. “I don’t consider myself just a safety; a DB in general. Nickel, corner, free safety, strong safety, wherever they need me at, that’s where I’m playing.”
This aligns with Parker’s imaginative and prescient of multiplicity, and it helps that new Cowboys secondary coach Ryan Smith spent his final three seasons because the Cardinals’ cornerbacks coach.
“I used to go in there and watch film with him when they transferred me down to nickel a little bit,” Thompson stated of Smith. “He just brought the cool element to the game, the calmness of it all. Not really stressing about too much, just really going out there and letting your God-given talent do the job. [Smith] was a big part of my decision to come here. Great coach, great leader, and feel like I can make some plays underneath him.”
Underrated draft choose: CB Devin Moore
JACKSONVILLE, FL – NOVEMBER 2: Devin Moore #28 of the Florida Gators returns an interception throughout a sport between College of Florida and College of Georgia at EverBank Stadium on November 2, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photograph by Perry McIntyre/ISI Pictures/Getty Photographs) Getty Photographs
As for the cornerbacks, it seems that DaRon Bland and Cobie Durant will lead the cost on the skin, with Shavon Revel Jr. as a doable X-Issue if he can keep wholesome. One other cornerback to observe if the well being factor checks out is Devin Moore, the Florida man taken with the 114th general choose within the fourth spherical of the draft.
A more healthy Moore would have gone lots increased, however the harm historical past is value mentioning, as a result of there’s lots to wade by.
Missed the start of the 2026 draft course of on account of December, 2025 groin surgical procedure; Missed six video games in 2024 with an AC joint sprain and a proper shoulder harm; Had offseason labrum surgical procedure in December, 2024; Missed 5 video games in 2023 on account of again points and a concussion; Missed eight video games in 2022 on account of a shoulder harm.
So, yeah — it will be unrealistic to count on Moore to march by his NFL profession with out the injury-proneness tripping him up, however one by no means is aware of. The metrics and the tape make it a suitable threat within the third day of the draft. Final season for the Gators, a comparatively wholesome Moore allowed 17 catches on 30 targets for 189 yards, 78 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, three cross breakups, and an opponent passer ranking of 70.0.
At 6’ 3¼ and 198 kilos, Moore definitely suits the profile of an out of doors cornerback.
All that stated, Moore is aware of that the harm story will observe him till and until.
”I really feel like that had me very missed and slept on,” he stated in April. “The size, the speed, ability to bend and tackle, the length — I feel like I had been overlooked.”
Effectively, Moore can profit from that now. Like nearly everybody else in Parker’s protection, the rookie is already touting his versatility.
“I can play man. I can play zone. I’m smart enough to know the whole secondary. I’m versatile, and that was the main conversation [with Parker]. The NFL is a very complicated game. You can’t run man the whole game, and you can’t run zone the whole game. You have to have players out there that can mix it up with both coverages, that can give the quarterbacks and offenses different looks.”
Yr 1 of the Christian Parker period? Convey your popcorn, as a result of the whole lot is about to vary for the higher.
