This week on Cowboys Overtime, Mac Engel and Nick Harris analyze staffing changes to the Dallas Cowboys including the firing of Matt Eberflus and talk through priorities for the offseason. By Candi Bolden
Late in the press conference that introduced new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker on Wednesday, the first-time play-caller was asked about the importance of the nickelback position.
It’s a justified question because of his history with nickels and versatile defensive backs going back to his time with Justin Simmons with the Broncos and more recently with Cooper DeJean with the Eagles. Last season, DeJean earned first-team All-Pro as the league’s top nickel corner.
The success of the position under Parker aside, he emphasized the importance of having the right player in that spot in his defense.
“Very important,” Parker said. “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.”
Parker also mentioned that he plans on running a 3-4 defense with 4-3 spacing and usage of 4-2-5 at times. That indicates that the nickel corner — the defensive back who typically covers slot receivers or will play in the box if there isn’t a slot threat — will be on the field even more than what the Cowboys have seen in recent years.
Who is currently on the roster?
In 2025, the Cowboys’ secondary was downright awful — being last in the NFL in passing yards allowed is all you need as an indicator.
However, the Cowboys got fairly consistent play from the nickel position. Was it great play? Absolutely not, but it’s something to build on going into 2026. DaRon Bland (200 nickel snaps played) and Reddy Steward (384 snaps) finished with the two highest coverage grades of all Cowboys cornerbacks last season, per Pro Football Focus.
Steward is an exclusive rights free agent, so the Cowboys will have dibs on deciding if they want him back for another season. Bland is coming off another major foot surgery that prematurely ended his season, and Parker will have the task of figuring out if he is better suited as a nickel corner or an outside corner.
Who could the Cowboys add at the nickel spot?
If Parker’s emphasis on having a talented nickel is as important as he led it on to be, then finding a premier option at that position in free agency and/or the draft will be necessary.
The Cowboys were in the final stages of completing a trade for Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick prior to the trade deadline, but that was abandoned when the deal for New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams went through. Could that be revisited?
Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick breaks up a pass intended for Buffalo Bills tight end Jackson Hawes during the first quarter Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Rich Storry Getty Images
The 2018 first-round pick has shined as a versatile chess piece for defenses throughout his career, seeing ample time playing free and strong safety, nickel corner, outside corner and in the box as a rover linebacker. After Miami parted ways with multiple big name players such as wide receiver Tyreek Hill last week, the franchise looks to be heading into rebuild mode. Could the Cowboys convince the Dolphins to take some draft capital to expedite that rebuild in exchange for Fitzpatrick?
The draft also looms as a big opportunity to land a premier nickel. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has a similar build and profile as Fitzpatrick, and he is expected to go early in the first round just like Fitzpatrick did eight years ago. In his final season with the Buckeyes, Downs played 212 snaps at free safety, 185 snaps in the box, 122 snaps at nickel, 30 snaps on the defensive line and nine snaps at wide corner.
Could the Cowboys get him at No. 12? Or, is Downs talented enough for Dallas to sacrifice future draft capital to move up and draft him?
Other impending free agents who fit the mold of what Parker could be looking for include New Orleans’ Alontae Taylor, the Los Angeles Rams’ Roger McCreary and Atlanta’s Dee Alford. Taylor has a whopping 52 pass deflections in his first four seasons, McCreary has accounted for 22 tackles for loss in four seasons, and Alford has combined tackling production (216 in four seasons) and ball production (24 pass deflections in past two seasons).
If the Cowboys miss out on Downs in the draft, Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell looms as another worthy first-round option who can serve multiple roles in the secondary, with the nickel spot as the highlight.
Regardless, given Parker’s emphasis on the position, Dallas will have to find a premier talent either in free agency or in the first round to solidify that need.