The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is one of the worst in the NFL through the first five games. After an offseason where they rebuilt the unit and hired one of the league's rising stars as their defensive coordinator, the Cowboys defense is performing worse than the group they fielded last year.
That’s something that seemed almost impossible after last season’s debacle under veteran DC Matt Eberflus, who was blamed for most of the issues. Yet here is Dallas’ defense struggling once again, with new players and under new coordinator Christian Parker.
So, the question must be asked, who’s to blame? According to the Cowboys’ defensive players, they are on the hook for the majority of the problems. Coming off an embarrassing showing in a Thursday night loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys held a defensive players only meeting to talk through the issues.
Cowboys defense had a players only meeting this morning to air things out. They say its not Christian Parker's fault. It's on the coaching. It's on the players. Von Miller said he has been around bad coaching before. He said they are getting coached well.
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) October 12, 2026
When a team is struggling, this is one of the go-to moves to try and right the ship. Other common options include the coach moving up to the booth instead of being on the sidelines, or players getting cut.
The team only meeting is one of the first steps many bad teams take, and it took just six weeks for the Cowboys to call one. It may seem early for the drastic measure, but the Cowboys cannot allow the season to slip away, especially when the NFC East is very winnable. Week 5 showed that every rival team has problems and it doesn’t look like any of them will run away with the division. If the Cowboys can find a way to get better on defense, they have as good a chance as anyone to win the East and make the playoffs. The easiest way to the postseason is by winning the division, and once in, anything can happen.
It’s admirable for the players to stand up for their rookie DC, but he’s not blameless in the defense's poor play. Parker must be held responsible for not getting the most out of the pieces he put into place, and how they’ve performed through five weeks.
The DC has taken that step by asking for help by bringing in former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine to work with him in Dallas as a consultant. Pettine was the DC with the Green Bay Packers when they hired Parker as an assistant in 2018, so this move reunites the student with one of his mentors.
The players are also doing their part. Dallas does boast about having a strong group of leaders on defense, including Von Miller, Quinnen Williams, and Kenny Clark, so the hope is they can work through the issues.
However, talk is cheap and there’s only so much meetings can do. Parker appears to be having some growing pains on the job, the defense has injuries, and the talent looks like it has been overrated.
The season is just five weeks in, and the Cowboys have already gone to the ‘team only meeting’ approach to fixing the defense. Having better players would be a bigger help, but absent of that, trying to work things out themselves is another option.
Communication and accountability are great, but the proof will be in how the Cowboys’ defense plays moving forward. Words are unlikely to fix what ails their defense.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys hold players only meeting to help fix defensive issues