FRISCO, Texas – My, oh my, what a difference a year makes.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is no longer the new, first-time head coach of last year, back then with question marks hovering all over his total inexperience.
Christian Parker is the new defensive coordinator, now he at 34 years old, putting that particular game-day, play-calling headset on for the first time in his coaching career.
The Cowboys have added 23 new defensive players through trades, the draft and free agency, including most notably Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, rookies Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence and Jaishawn Barham, along with Dee Winters, Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant, P.J. Locke and Jonathan Bullard.
No longer are Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Tyler Booker, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Jay Toia, Shemar James and Reddy Steward rookies or first-year players.
No longer will Shavon Revel, DeMarvion Overshown, Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler start training camp on PUP or the Non-Football Injury list as they did last year. And for real, few if any will arrive on July 27 for the start of training camp on some sort of reserve list for injury or non-compliance.
No longer will the Cowboys be dealing with disgruntled players for contractual or stubborn reasons. Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons are gone, two locker room poison pills with eventual Cowboys roster expiration dates.
Why, Pro Bowl receiver George Pickens finally arrived after his brief offseason contractual protest, we perceive, ready and in shape to get to work, and with a smile on his face. Was greeted by his teammates and coaches, Schotty included, with hugs, just short of throwing down welcome mats for the guy who led the Cowboys in receiving in 2025. Pickens has come to grips with playing on the one-year, guaranteed franchise tag he signed for $27.3 million.
There has been little need over these past several weeks for any front office interviews to be conducted, Jerry and Stephen Jones popping into an OTA practice a time or two. No trades since the NFL Draft, no major signings or releases over these past two months, or off-field disruptions.
And maybe best of all, no longer will there be, as there were at the start of last season's training camp, questions about if Dak Prescott is fully recovered from the hamstring ligament torn off the bone to end his 2024 season in the eighth game. Nor will there be any planned hold-ins or some guy lying on a bench-area training table during a preseason game, grandstanding a hold-in to make this all about himself, or Jerry breathlessly being asked about a contract negotiation all training camp long.
Just football, of all things, if you can imagine that with the Dallas Cowboys, though knock on wood so far with the FIFA World Cup still to play seven more games at AT&T Stadium. Unlikely on this world stage, with temperatures nearing 100 degrees in North Texas, that some unexpected ice slides off the roof, as did happen when hosting another big event, Super Bowl XLV, several years ago.
Do I dare say "quiet," as someone suggested to Schottenheimer during his final media session of the offseason on Thursday's final day of the three-day minicamp? With the players now heading out on a five-week unstructured hiatus, when coaches pray the phone never rings at three o'clock in the morning, never with good news.
The Q-word was thrown at Schotty, and call him superstitious or not wanting to tug on Superman's cape, but he deftly parried the question with this initial rhetorical response:
"Is it quieter? I'm not going to say that because you never know what's coming around the corner, man. Shoot, I could be sitting on a beach somewhere, and the next thing you know, the phone starts ringing, and you're like, (shaking his head) I can't wait to be asked about this.
"Will take it right now."
Sure, they will. Peace out, and as Dak said, "I just think the focus is in the right place."
One of the worst defenses in the NFL – in the 66-season history of the franchise – now seems to have players hanging on Parker's every word. And some of the trashier words of his – believe it or not, for newcomers – getting under the competitive skin of the offense, even without the pads coming on yet. Plus, health willing, this part just sounds better, an improvement over last year.
Unofficially, the Cowboys will line up on defense with the likes of Williams, Clark, Lawrence, Gary, Ezeiruaku, Winters, Overshown, Revel and DaRon Bland, with a safety/nickel combination of Downs, Thompson, Durant, Locke and Malik Hooker, an improvement even if so far just on paper.
And don't be afraid to think some about Barham and Bullard and Caelen Carson and the return of Tyrus Wheat and the 5½ sack guy of last year, James Houston.
"I would say the s-talking from Christian Parker is a little different than what we had last year, and so guys feed off of it in a good way. And you guys are beginning to figure out his personality, and in a good way," Schotty said of the artificially elevated competition even in, again, these non-padded practices. "It's been fun to watch him stir up CeeDee (Lamb) and George and Dak and those guys. I think we're in a really good spot."
This Parker exudes confidence. Man, he has these guys communicating, and the players have figured out they'd best know what's going on at all times in this defense, unlike last year when on too many snaps players seemed lost, busting coverages, missing assignments. And that goes for special teams, too, thus was kidding KaVontae Turpin the reason most are pointing out he led the NFL in kickoff returns is not a good thing. All based on this defense giving up a franchise-high 511 points, resulting in a franchise-high 82 returns, four more than the 2004 previous high of 78, and five more than the 77 from the gosh-forsaken 1-15 season of 1989.
And speaking of new, not just Parker, this is an entirely new defensive staff, too. As Williams said, entering his eighth NFL season, the first seven with the Jets, "This is probably the best defensive staff I've been around."
Good on 'dat.
And from Dak's perspective on what he sees of this defense, "Yeah, they're playing with a lot of confidence. You can just tell by the way they're communicating, whether it's walkthroughs, whether it's out there at practice, seven on seven. Yeah, guys are taking ownership in what they're being asked. We've got great energy from not only CP, but the rest of the coaches, so it'll be a battle."
Yep, all encouraging as this team hits the brakes this offseason, one not all cluttered up with the ancillary distractions of past years once GP arrived smiling for the three-day mandatory minicamp. One focused on football, and a locker room full of the "right kind of guys," veterans and some young bucks itching to get going. One now with a one-year seasoned head coach and his offensive coaching staff basically still in place as opposed to last year when most of those assistants were new to Schotty's staff, heck, still looking for places to live.
Much different, and a change needed, especially when coming off back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the turn of the century. And Thursday, no matter the age, seemed as if the last day of school for these guys. You know, "school's out for summer." High energy, and probably when Dak was asked for the pulse of this team, the question was prefaced by pointing out that now, in his 11th season, he is the longest tenured player on the team, kiddingly labeled the "old man" in the room.
So Dak, do you sense a changed confidence heading toward this upcoming training camp over maybe where you were at this time a year ago? Do you feel that?
"Yeah, I see it," Dak said. "I feel it. … So yeah, it's just exciting. I mean, what we're just talking about, the CP, the energy they're bringing on defense, who we are on offense, but yet trying to elevate, not complacent with anything that we did last year. Yeah, two units taking pride in what they do, and it's going to be a hell of a camp just competing against each other. Yeah, you could feel it in just the culture building.
"I mean, credit to Shotty and all the things that we've done outside the building or just in the building to better the culture of this team and the brotherhood. So it's very exciting."
And to that, with this page seemingly turning from a year ago, let's leave this all with an appropriate Drew Pearson, "Hut-hut."
