CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 17: Assistant head coach/outside linebackers coach Mike Pettine of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the second half of a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 17, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys’ revamped defense has been a bit of a mess so far in 2026.
Through five games, it has been one of the worst defenses in football and the Cowboys are making some changes after an embarrassing loss to Tampa Bay that dropped Dallas to 2-3 on the season.
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Below are some highlights of the conversation, edited lightly for clarity.
What kind of voice do you want Pettine to have? One that’s constantly talking to Christian Parker, lending advice, or is it a louder voice across the entire staff and team?
Jones:Â Well, I think the thing will evolve, and just like Ken Dorsey’s role evolves with [Steve] Shimko and [Schottenheimer] and Klayton [Adams], I think Mike Pettine’s role, he’ll get in here, he’s a seasoned coach who everybody’s very comfortable with and he’s not going to coach a position. So I think that’s very helpful in terms of looking at the defense holistically. It’s always good to get a new set of eyes in here at any point in time, just to, if you will, scout you and say, “Hey, here are the things you should consider and look at,” and the great thing is he does have a great history with both Coach Schottenheimer and Christian.Â
This morning Jerry Jones said that Christian Parker is going to be up in the booth now. What kind of perspective do you think that he’s going to get from there?
Jones:Â Yeah, I think this thing will evolve. Whether Christian’s in the booth or in the sideline, or Pettine’s in the booth or on the sideline. That’s something Coach Schottenheimer and them will work through as the week goes, and certainly know they’ll come up with what they feel gives us the best chance to have success, and just feel great that we’re adding a quality coach to this staff that I really think can help. He’s got experience with some of our players, in terms of Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark, so they know him well. They have much respect for him. So just looking forward to getting his input, it’ll be great to get Joey Porter back out on the field on a regular basis, and feel good about where we’re headed. We wouldn’t be making these moves if we weren’t optimistic about what we can ultimately be as a football team.Â
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One of the players you just mentioned, Rashan Gary, using our words not yours, it feels like he has had a disappointing start to the season. How much more is there to unlock from him?
Jones:Â I think a lot of this is just players evolving. I mean, he’s getting his hands around what’s expected of him. I think he’s made some really good plays. He’s been a great leader for us. But at the same time, just like I think everybody on this football team can turn on the tape and watch our first five games and say, “I can be better than that.” Doesn’t matter whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff, organization. We all can be better. We wouldn’t be sitting here at 2-3. So I’m sure Rashan feels the same way, and I really expect him to evolve in this system. And I think we’ll continue to be better. We certainly, though, have to go out and the proof is going to be in what we put on the tape, and until we go out there and have success and do the things we feel like we need to do, then certainly there’ll be question marks, as there should be.Â
When you’re talking about looking at the tape and what you’re going to put on tape going forward, how important is it to tighten up the missed tackles from the defense? It seems like some of these problems have stemmed from just some straight up missed tackles.
Jones:Â Yeah, I don’t disagree with you. I think that the fundamentals are a big part of this. It’s not just missed tackles. It’s play style. It’s intensity. It’s identity. It’s making plays when you need to make plays. I think all these things come into play when you talk about ultimately putting a product, a defensive team on the field that can go out and help you win football games, and obviously we hadn’t done that up to now. And I agree with you. We have to tackle better. I think our play style has to be better. We have to make plays on the ball. We have to get to the quarterback. All these things I think play into us ultimately having a defense that can help us win football games.
What have you thought of the play of Ameer Speed? We just went back and watched him so far this season and he’s looked pretty good.
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Jones:Â He’s doing a really good job, and I think his arrow is up. He not only has done a great job for us on special teams; he’s stepped in when we needed him, and I think done an admirable job playing corner for us, and is a part of this football team that is going to hopefully be [one of the] people that we talk about when we talk about why this defense has improved from Week 5 and going forward. Certainly we’re thrilled to have him on this team and glad that we were able to get him involved and that he is a part of this. Like I said, not only does he help us on defense, but he’s also really helping Coach [Nick] Sorensen on special teams.
Are we dealing with some sort of stomach bug or sickness around the locker room right now?
Jones:Â Well, no question. I think it’s that time of year, and these young guys are resilient, but at the same time, timing can be bad, and we certainly have had more than our, I think we’ve had probably at least a dozen cases of guys, and I don’t know if any of it was related to being in Rio or not, but some of it has been the stomach virus that you get sometimes when you go south. Also we’ve had certainly cases of the flu bug, not just among the players, but among staff. And hopefully that’s going through, and people are doing the right things to take care of their bodies.Â