PHILADELPHIA — Cooper DeJean was disappointed Thursday over the departure of Christian Parker, the Eagles cornerbacks coach, who is reportedly heading to Dallas to become the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.
“Mannnn. They got a great one. Wouldn’t be the player I am without Coach CP,” the Birds’ nickel corner posted on X, with a sad emoji and a respect emoji.
Parker, 34, well-regarded around the league, replaces Matt Eberflus, who was fired after one season in Dallas. He also interviewed with the Packers before ending up with the Birds’ biggest rival.
Parker, who was also the passing game coordinator, was with Vic Fangio in Denver in 2021 and joined him here when the Eagles hired Fangio as defensive coordinator two years ago.
The Cowboys finished 2025 last in points allowed and passing yards allowed, and they were 30th in yards allowed. They traded edge rusher Micah Parsons, their biggest star on defense, to Green Bay days before the season began.
Parker, who worked with Patrick Surtain II in Denver, helped make Quinyon Mitchell and DeJean, the Birds’ top two picks in the ’24 draft, into All-Pro cornerbacks within two years. The Eagles surrendered the fewest touchdown passes in the NFL this past season.
Parker, a North Jersey native, began his coaching career in 2013 at Virginia State. His other stops included Norfolk State, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and the Packers. If the Eagles promote from within, potential replacements could be Joe Kasper or Roy Anderson, who also coach the secondary.
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The Birds lost out on their top two candidates for offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll. McDaniel took the OC position with the Chargers, and Daboll is expected to become the Titans’ OC if he doesn’t land the head job in Buffalo, according to multiple reports.
Early in the week, Dianna Russini of The Athletic suggested that the Eagles OC job may not be as attractive as it would seem, despite two recent coordinators (Kellen Moore and Shane Steichen) parlaying it into head coaching gigs. Whether that’s an indictment of quarterback Jalen Hurts, coach Nick Sirianni or the organization as a whole is up for debate.
The Eagles new OC will have autonomy to install his own offense and call plays. Whether he’s allowed to hire his own staff depends on the candidate, according to Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman.
Russini cited Philly as a “tough place to coach.” The fact that former OC Kevin Patullo’s house was vandalized with eggs after a Black Friday loss to the Bears probably doesn’t help.
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Former defensive tackle Kevin Johnson, who played for the Eagles in 1995 and 1996, was found dead near a homeless encampment in his native Los Angeles this week at age 55. He had suffered blunt-force head trauma and stab wounds, and his death is being investigated as a homicide.
In 11 appearances in 1995, he had 19 tackles, six sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He started five games in 1996 before moving on to the Raiders.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc for the latest updates.
