The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2026 season excited about their new-look defense. Unfortunately, that excitement is fading after the unit has continued to struggle after multiple weeks. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not pleased with how the unit has played. He is willing to make plenty of changes to fix those issues.
Jones went on 105.3 The FAN on Tuesday and spoke at length about the team's poor defensive play.
“I'm obviously disappointed in our results so far,” Jones said, per The Athletic's Jon Machota.
Jones said that after the team's defense was back to square one defensively after their Week 5 collapse against the Buccaneers. On Tuesday, Jones said that he thinks the Cowboys are “better off than that.”
The Cowboys also brought in Mike Pettine as a defensive assistant to provide some veteran experience to help defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
“Jones doesn't think new DC Christian Parker is overwhelmed. He says the addition of senior defensive assistant Mike Pettine fits so well with their coaching staff, adding it's a move they wanted to make before the season,” Machota wrote.
It is unclear at this point how Parker and Pettine will work together. But the message is clear that ownership believes Parker needs some guidance from an old pro.
Jones also said that Parker will move from the sideline to the booth, per Cowboys reporter Joseph Hoyt. Perhaps having a wider frame of view of the game in real time could help the young defensive coordinator.
Article Continues BelowFinally, head coach Brian Schottenheimer explained the team will also make some personnel changes on defense to help spark the unit. However, he declined to share any to preserve a competitive advantage.
It will be fascinating to see how Dallas' defense looks in their first game after making all of these changes.
Next up for the Cowboys is a Week 6 matchup against the Packers on Sunday Night Football.