Dallas Cowboys new defense will be on the move under Christian Parker

It hasn’t even been two weeks, and we’ve already talked ad nauseam about how incredibly bright Caleb Downs is. The guy is a safety savant with the rare ability to play nickel, deep safety, or down in the box. His range allows him to start in one zip code and end the play in another, which is exactly what this rotation needs.

Jalen Thompson is a savvy veteran who has spent years perfecting the art of the post-snap disguise. Remember, he was the team’s 1A plan before Downs unexpectedly fell into their laps. Now, they have two skilled safeties who can offer deception and disguise. His experience in complex systems gives the secondary a steady hand to guide these younger players through their new assignments.

Cobie Durant brings positional hybridity with both outside and slot capabilities. His presence doesn’t typecast him into a special role as he likes to loiter around the C-gap, keeping quarterbacks guessing if he’s flying at them on a blitz or dropping back into coverage.

Dee Winters brings the element of speed as his biggest asset. This allows him to evaporate space quickly, making him ideal for a scheme that asks linebackers to drop into coverage or fire downhill at a moment’s notice. His ability to play multiple linebacker positions means opposing teams won’t be able to identify his exact assignment pre-snap.

Rashan Gary is the steadying force on the edge, using his strength to keep teams from bouncing outside in the run game. Because Gary is equally dangerous as a rusher and a run-defender, offenses can’t guess the play based on his alignment.

Jaishawn Barham is a versatile linebacker who can play both inside and outside with equal effectiveness. He has the size to stop the run but the fluidity to handle the lateral movements required in a disguise-heavy system.

Malachi Lawrence is an explosive young pass rusher who specializes in a fast get-off from the line of scrimmage. He rounds out this group by ensuring that while the back end is confusing the passer, the front end is closing in fast.

Ultimately, success in the NFL usually comes down to how well a group can work together as a single organism. Defensive continuity is vital, where every tiny detail is critical for the collective success. Constantly swapping out players usually creates massive communication challenges, but this team has a real chance to build something special by keeping this talented core together. With this new injection of versatile talent and a scheme designed to deceive, Cowboys fans have every reason to be hopeful. The defense is finally moving, and if they can take a nice step forward, this team might be able to turn some heads come January.