Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft winners and losers: New DC Christian Parker, WR George Pickens gain the most

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' 7-9-1 season in 2025 was a direct result of defensive deficiencies across every level of their defense. 

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones knew he needed to have "dramatic change" after defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus' Micah Parsons-less defense allowed an NFL-worst 30.1 points per game. That 2025 scoring defense ranks as the second-most points per game surrendered in the 66-season history of the Cowboys. Only Dallas' inaugural 1960 team, which finished 0-11-1, was worse. That led to Jones bringing in Christian Parker, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach under Vic Fangio, to be Dallas' new defensive coordinator at the age of 34, which made him the youngest DC in franchise history. 

Parker is also a departure from a couple other longtime Cowboys precedents at defensive coordinator in terms of scheme and experience. Parker brings with him a 3-4, multiple front/formational scheme after Dallas ran a 4-3 for years. He's also the first defensive coordinator the Cowboys have had who wasn't a formerly fired NFL head coach since Monte Kiffin in 2013. Given all that change, Dallas knew it had to restock the defense in the 2026 NFL with five of their seven picks coming on that side of the ball. Plus, they traded a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers to acquire inside linebacker Dee Winters, a 25-year-old veteran who started all 17 games in 2025. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at the grades for all seven of their picks, plus three winners and three losers from how the Cowboys decided to strengthen its defense in the draft.  

Winner: Christian Parker

A year ago, the Cowboys decided the nickel corner position wasn't all that valuable given they let veteran Jourdan Lewis walk to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency on a three-year, $30 million deal with $20 million guaranteed. Dallas' outlook toward the position changed dramatically, and that's thanks to Parker. 

"Very important," Parker said about the position at his introductory press conference in February. "That guy, he's a corner sometimes, he's a safety sometimes, he's a backer sometimes. He's a defensive end when he's blitzing. You want to have a guy who has natural instincts and ability to feel the game and play football. He's usually a guy who if you were playing football on a Saturday afternoon in the neighborhood, he's your first-round draft pick just because he feels the game naturally. That's definitely an important guy to a good defense."

CBS Sports asked Jones about the perspective shift toward the position in the wake of Lewis' departure, the rough 2025 season without him and then being able to select Ohio State All-America safety Caleb Downs to fill that void. 

"I've been brainwashed over how bad we need a nickel around here this whole spring and summer, and it is a big thing for us," Jones said. "We went into this thing nickel-oriented. ... This was one that really puts a premium on the fact that we feel very good about what he does for us at that spot, and these guys are making that a cornerstone of it. [We] had [nickel] right there with pressure players [edge rushers] when it came to which would be the biggest impact. Our planning and discussion really focused in on either a corner or a safety that could get in the nickel, and [Downs] easily was the most obvious one that could get in the nickel for us, and we dared think that he might be there available for us."

A common theme for Dallas' NFL-worst pass defense that allowed a whopping 251.5 passing yards per game was miscommunication leading to coverage busts. That was the most recurring comment after losses by Cowboys defensive backs, but Downs may be the antidote Dallas has been looking for. 

"You get a guy like Caleb Downs, one of the top-rated guys on our board," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "You notice the command and the communication that he has, the control of that defense at Ohio State. He did it at Alabama. It gives you the flexibility. You're going to have moving pieces -- how we want to play the safeties and do different things. We feel like the one thing we know, for sure, is that Caleb will be down in the box, and he'll be lurking. He'll be blitzing, and he'll be filling B and C gaps. And he's one of those tools that when you game plan for a guy like that, you have to be aware of where he is because he can do so many things well. He can blitz well, he can fill the run well, he can cover really well."

Losers: Sam Williams and James Houston 

Both Williams (one year, $2.5 million) and Houston (entering second season of a two-year, $2.175 million deal in 2026) are entering contract years in 2026. Both figured to have plenty of opportunity to play key snaps for Dallas with the team lacking in depth at edge rusher after Pro Bowler Rashan Gary and 2025 second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku. 

However, Dallas then drafted UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence 23rd overall and Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham 92nd overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Lawrence is someone vice president of player personnel Will McClay said had "more juice" than former Cowboys Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence "from a pure speed standpoint." He's definitely going to get every opportunity to play over Williams and Houston. Even though the plan for Barham is for him to be an inside backer, the Cowboys said they also intend to give him pass rush reps at edge rusher/outside linebacker on third downs. Williams and Houston just watched some major opportunities go up in flames for both of them during the 2026 draft. 

Winner: George Pickens

The Dallas Cowboys could have chosen to draft a wide receiver with the second of their two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft given the uncertain nature of Pickens' contract situation. The Pro Bowl wide receiver and his agent David Mulugheta informed Dallas on Thursday night that he intended to sign the franchise tag, which in theory would quell some of the talk about him being disgruntled about the Cowboys not engaging in long-term contract talks this year. 

However, once he signs the tag, the Cowboys could then have the ability to trade him the same way the did Parsons, another Mulugheta client, last year when he was up for a new deal.They had the 20th overall pick, and USC's Makai Lemon, the 2025 Biletnikoff award winner, was on the board. Dallas chose Lawrence and then didn't draft a receiver until the seventh round. Those decisions make it seem like they don't plan on trading him this year, which is great for Pickens. There aren't too many other situations in the league where Pickens would have a top 10 quarterback throwing to him like he has in Dallas with Dak Prescott in tandem with playing opposite a top 10 wide receiver like he has in Dallas with CeeDee Lamb. 

If Pickens does play for the Cowboys in 2026, he should be in for another massive statistical campaign like he had in 2025 when he produced the third-most receiving yards in football with 1,429. 

Loser: Terence Steele

Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele hasn't been the same since returning from a torn ACL and MCL in 2023. Since 2023, he leads the NFL in quarterback pressures allowed (141)  while ranking tied for second in the league in sacks allowed (25), according to TruMedia. There weren't any free agency moves Dallas made that would have caused Steele to be sweating about his Dallas future, but the Cowboys did make Penn State offensive tackle Drew Shelton their first Day 3 draft pick 112th overall in the fourth round. Schottenheimer indicated that they expect Shelton, a collegiate left tackle, to be able to swing to the other side of the line at right tackle. That's not something that will likely affect Steele this season, but it's a warning sign if his play in pass protection doesn't turn around in 2026. 

"We really like his smooth footwork. He's a good athlete, plays well in space," Schottenheimer said of Shelton. "We think he, again, is a guy  that's going to go out there and he's got a really good understanding of angles and how to get in people's way.  We just like the traits, and we bet on a guy that's played, I think, 34 starts. We think we can get him in here to  compete with some of the guys we got. We're looking forward to throwing him in the mix with [Tyler] Guyton and Nate Thomas and those guys. And he'll be a left tackle that's got some guard versatility, but we also expect him to be able to swing to the other side as well." 

Winners: Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark 

With the Dallas Cowboys trading defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers for the 92nd overall pick in this draft, the depth at defensive tackle became much more thin. All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams turns 29 years old in December and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark turns 31 years old in October. They'll need a capable third defensive lineman to be able to rotate in and keep them fresh. 

The Cowboys felt they found one in Alabama edge rusher LT Overton, whom they picked 137th overall in the fourth round on Saturday. Overton, a 6-foot-3, 274-pound edge rusher out of Alabama, has a stout frame. He could stand to fill out to maybe 290 to transition to being a defensive tackle. Being equipped with an 81-inch wingspan will certainly help his positional transition. Jones feels like he has someone who can provide Odighizuwa's skill set at a contract number way lower than $20 million. Overton will be key in helping keep Williams and Clark fresh in 2026 and beyond. 

"We would love to have Osa, but we couldn't afford Osa. So we got a guy that does a lot of the things he does, little bit different, but [he] does a lot of things he [Odighizuwa] does but one we could afford," Jones said. ... "This gives the kind of combination of things that they wanted to really be able to [have to] give them their options on how they play that interior of the line." 

Loser: Cobie Durant

The Cowboys signed former Los Angeles Rams starting outside corner Cobie Durant to a one-year deal to be a starter. However, his time may be running out early on two fronts: his jersey number and his chance to stick around in 2027. First, let's start with the jersey number. Downs wore No. 2 at Ohio State, and it would make sense for the team's first pick in the 2026 draft to have a jersey number that looks aesthetically pleasing so Dallas' passionate fan base snaps up his jersey in high volume. Durant is currently listed on the Cowboys' website as having jersey No. 2, but they may change in a hurry. 

The second issue is Dallas drafted an athletic, versatile outside corner in the fourth round in Florida's Devin Moore that it raved about on Saturday after the pick. Moore, at 6-3 and 198 pounds, is significantly bigger than Durant, who is listed at 5-11, 180 pounds. If Moore can remain healthy, he missed 20 games in college, there's a chance he could pass up Durant on the depth chart next offseason. Moore did show signs of overcoming the injury bug in 2025, playing in 11 of the Gators' 12 games. 

"The long athletic corner that can play press, he can play off, he can play zone schemes. And when you  do pattern match and some different things in defense, he can do those. He understands spacing and stuff like that," vice president of player personnel Will McClay said of Moore. "He has the ability to tackle. He's a big guy who can bend and run and change directions, mirror, double  move routes, things like that. The health thing, our doctors and trainers gave him a medical grade that we  thought was passing and he did not miss a game last year. So, we feel good about where he is and excited  about adding him to the team. A big athlete that can think, feel good about it."