Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders defensive coordinators have HBCU ties

The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders share a fierce, historic rivalry, and also HBCU ties among their defensive coordinators. Both teams made significant changes to their coaching staff as they hired new DCs to lead the defensive unit for both NFC squads.

The Cowboys hired Christian Parker and the Commanders hired Daronte Jones. Jones is an HBCU alumnus who played football at Morgan State University. He joins the Commanders after serving as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive backs coach under Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Along with being an HBCU alumnus, he also got an early start as a coach in the HBCU ranks.

He served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for Bowie State University from 2005 to 2009. It gave him the foundation for his immense success at the college and professional levels, as he even served as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2021. He looks to revitalize the Washington Commanders’ defense under Dan Quinn’s system. The Commanders struggled last season after reaching the NFC Championship in the 2024-2025 NFL season.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys have hired former Philadelphia Eagles passing-game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker, who was a standout on the Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s staff. Parker’s hire is historic for the Cowboys, as he’s the franchise’s youngest defensive coordinator. He is also the fourth defensive coordinator in the past four seasons, which he hopes to change with his play-calling this fall.

Parker served on the coaching staff for two different HBCUs in his early career. He served as defensive pass coach for Virginia State University from 2013 to 2014. He then joined Norfolk State University as a defensive backs coach from 2015 to 2016 before ultimately moving on to a defensive analyst position at Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

He then advanced to the professional level in 2019, working with the Green Bay Packers in various defensive roles before landing his big break with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was part of the staff that led the Eagles to Super Bowl 59 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. This is an interesting chapter for both teams as, historically, both franchises have supported HBCU players and have had HBCU players be huge portions of their historic success.

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