Christian Parker brings a promising resume to Dallas for his first gig as a defensive coordinator. Better still if he brought Patrick Surtain II or Cooper DeJean or Quinyon Mitchell, defensive backs he’s coached along the way. Hard to screw up good material, though Jerry Jones somehow manages.
On one hand, give Jerry credit for recognizing the potential of a young Eagles assistant who’s learned under one of the league’s best defensive coordinators in Vic Fangio.
On the other hand, where was Jerry’s foresight when he let a bright defensive line coach leave for Seattle with DeMarcus Lawrence on his tail?
In case you’re unaware: Aden Durde, coordinator of the league’s third-ranked defense, worked for the Joneses from 2021-’23, and D-Law is the guy who made everybody crazy after he left last spring saying the Seahawks had a shot at the Super Bowl and the Cowboys didn’t.
Cowboys
Can I call “Scoreboard”?
Seattle is in the NFC title game, something D-Law hadn’t experienced in 11 seasons in Dallas, while the Cowboys’ streak remains as unbreakable as Cal Ripken’s.
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Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde walks on the sideline before an NFL football divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Lindsey Wasson / AP
Before going any further, let me apologize on behalf of the local media for complaining all year about the defensive end who got away and forgetting about the other one.
Micah Parsons had a heck of a season for the Packers, all right, collecting All-Pro honors despite missing three games after blowing out his knee.
But Lawrence was no slouch for the Seahawks. Started 16 of 17 games at 33 after signing a team-friendly, three-year, $32.5 million deal. Earned a $500,000 bonus for his fifth Pro Bowl after finishing second on the team in sacks with six and leading the Seahawks in tackles for losses with 11.
Pro Football Focus ranked him 11th among defensive ends, just ahead of Trey Hendrickson and a couple spots better than Maxx Crosby.
But, as was always the case with D-Law and a Cowboys fan base that often didn’t get it, the numbers don’t do him justice.
No Cowboy practiced or played harder over his 11 seasons here. He was reliable, responsible and accountable. Like when he stood his ground after saying he wouldn’t have won a Super Bowl had he remained in Dallas.
Parsons took exception on X, citing “rejection” and “envy” and calling it “some serious clown” stuff.
“Calling me a clown won’t change the fact that I told the truth,” Lawrence responded on X.
“Maybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn’t have left.”
Here we are, nearly a year later, and I’m guessing Parsons is down with D-Law at this point.
Anyway, if you listen to Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks’ head coach, Lawrence is one of the key reasons they’re one win from a Super Bowl.
“The football player, the traits of how he plays, is what we expected,” Macdonald said last week. “Coming in, being a rugged, dominant, disruptive player on early downs. Then how he rushed the passer in terms of setting other people up in pass rush, things like that, that’s consistent.
“I just appreciate the person that he is every day and the competitor he is.”
Lawrence conceded in a presser last week that he’s better “aligned” physically, mentally and spiritually this season.
“If you really want to understand what I meant by not being able to win in Dallas,” he said, “that’s what I meant. My window of opportunity is short. I’m here, but, also, what do I do?
“Do I sit on the sideline and wait, or do I still go and chase my dream? That’s why I’m here.”
The reason he’s in Seattle is because the Cowboys thought he was too old and expensive. They made the same mistake with DeMarcus Ware, who went to two more Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl as a Bronco. Chances are Lawrence will do the same with the Seahawks.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) talks with defensive line coach Aden Durde defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90), defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) and defensive end Chauncey Golston (99) on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
He credited Durde, his coach in Dallas, for a “big part” of his reason for signing with Seattle. If you were getting your first gig as a DC, you’d have made the same pitch.
“He’s a great football player,” Durde said last week. “He plays the game the way it’s meant to be played.”
Any good coach knows you’re only as good as your players, but coaches count, and it seems as if Durde is better than the Joneses thought. He interned with the Cowboys and worked under Dan Quinn, a pretty good mentor, but they didn’t give any serious thought to elevating him after Quinn left. Macdonald, who still calls the defensive plays in Seattle, saw more in Durde than Jerry did. Now he’s getting interviews for head coaching positions.
And it wasn’t just Durde, either. Jerry didn’t promote Al Harris when he had the chance, and now he’s interviewing for DC jobs with the Commanders and Packers. Parker only got the job because Jerry no longer believes a DC had to be a head coach first. This is how he learns, from his mistakes. You’d think he’d be a genius by now.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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