The Dallas Cowboys have yet to resolve their defensive struggles, which stretch back to the 2025 campaign, and an upset home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Thursday Night Football” has prompted a new addition to the coaching staff.
Long-time NFL coach Mike Pettine has been hired by the Cowboys to serve as a senior defensive assistant who will be working alongside defensive coordinator Christian Parker, the 34-year-old who has seen struggles from his unit so far in his first year at his post.
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“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time. I think as we looked at everything, we had a chance to convince Pett that it made sense for him,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters about the hiring of Pettine.
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Assistant head coach/outside linebackers coach Mike Pettine of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Diamond Images/Getty Images)
“I think he’s excited about coming in and adding experience and value. The most important thing for us was making sure we got the right guy, and I feel very, very confident that we did.”
It feels as though this was a long time coming for the Cowboys, as Parker himself approached Pettine about joining his defensive staff when he was hired for the job in January. Parker marked the youngest defensive coordinator hire in Cowboys history, and wanted someone he was familiar with on his staff.
Parker’s first NFL job was a quality control coach in 2019 with the Green Bay Packers. Pettine was the team’s defensive coordinator at the time. Schottenheimer also knows Pettine well, as the two previously worked together on Rex Ryan’s New York Jets staff.
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Pettine, though, had retired before the 2026 season when Parker was putting his staff together. But after the Cowboys’ loss to undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels and the Bucs this past Thursday, which gave Tampa Bay its first win of the season, Dallas went back to Pettine, who came out of retirement to join the staff.
From 2022 up until last season, Pettine served as an assistant head coach for Kevin O’Connell on the Minnesota Vikings. He was also a senior defensive assistant with the Chicago Bears during the 2021 season.
The Cowboys do not plan on Pettine supplanting Parker as defensive coordinator, but rather allowing the both to work together again in hopes of changing the brutal results on the field over the first five weeks.
Head coach Mike Pettine of the Cleveland Browns stands on the sideline in the first quarter of a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on Jan. 3, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Diamond Images/Getty Images)
Dallas, which moved to 2-3 on the season after the loss, has allowed the second-most yards per game (395.4) in the NFL thus far, with only the Detroit Lions giving up more. The Cowboys also have the worst run defense, giving up 168.4 yards per game in that area, while being 26th in points allowed per game (27.2).
Just like last season, the team’s wins have been because Dak Prescott and the offense have been able to put up points, ranking seventh in the league per game in that respect (27.6).
Pettine has the notable experience to perhaps change what’s going wrong despite players and coaches alike saying Parker’s communication and scheme have been solid thus far. Owner Jerry Jones and the rest of those invested in the team’s success want the results on the field, though.
“When you bring someone into this role, you want it to be someone that the coordinator, the head coach trusts,” Schottenheimer continued, “because otherwise I could put two people in a room and say, ‘OK, well he’s in charge, but I want you to give him feedback,’ if they don’t have any relationship, then how are they going to ever get anything done? That doesn’t help anybody.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker walks to the locker room after a loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept. 13, 2026. (The Dallas Morning News)
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“So, that’s how it started, and Pett was excited about retirement. He’s been doing this a long time, and as we’ve been talking about this over the past couple weeks, it began to make more sense for him.”
The Cowboys will see Pettine and Parker’s former Packers squad in a primetime matchup on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 6.
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