Why Cowboys need to sign free agent Bobby Wagner to fix defensive woes, communication

FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys' new-look defense under new coordinator Christian Parker didn't look very new in Week 1's 28-20 defeat at the New York Giants.

Nearly half of the snaps on Dallas' league-worst scoring defense in 2025 are from players no longer on the team, per the Dallas Morning News, and Parker overhauled the defensive play verbiage to speed up the unit's pre-snap communication. However, the on-field performance was more of the same in Week 1.

Based on defensive expected points added (EPA) per drive in TruMedia, the Cowboys delivered the worst effort by any team in Week 1, and it was worse than all of their defensive games last year. Of the 576 defensive performances since the start of the 2025 season, it ranked 574th.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer's view on why the defensive woes have continued: communication. That's a familiar concern for Dallas, although it's a bit different this year. Schottenheimer felt some of the new, young players on the field in Week 1 weren't doing what they needed to do to let teammates know they didn't fully hear or receive the play call.

"Communication is two parts," Schottenheimer said. "It's the person that gives [the…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/