I think Dallas finishes with a top-10 defense in PPG THIS season. Not next year... not two years from now. This year.
I know that I'm guilty of wearing rose-colored glasses, but remember, we've seen this level of transformation before.
In 2020, Dallas finished 28th in scoring defense. One year later, after replacing Mike Nolan with Dan Quinn and drafting Micah Parsons, they jumped all the way to 7th.
I'm not saying Caleb Downs is Micah Parsons. They're different players at different positions. But I do think Downs has the potential to have the same kind of transformational effect on the communication and confidence of the defense. I think Downs has the potential to make more of an overall defensive identity impact than Parsons did.
The bigger reason for my optimism, though, is Christian Parker.
Personally, I think the gap between Eberflus and Parker is every bit as large as the gap between Nolan and Quinn. In fact, I think it may be larger. I thought Eberflus was that bad. Last year's defense wasn't just lacking talent. It lacked identity, communication, and any sense that players were being put in a position to succeed.
Also, Parker isn't inheriting the exact same roster as last year. Dallas added Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham, Devin Moore, LT Overton, and made several trades that should make a very visible difference. To me, that's actually a more complete defensive makeover than what we saw going into 2021.
Will they be the No. 1 defense? Probably not. But I don't think a jump into the top 10 is nearly as unrealistic as many people think. If Parker is the coach I believe he is, Downs is as good as the early reports suggest, and this front seven plays to its potential, I think Dallas surprises a lot of people this season.
What do you guys think? Am I overly optimistic, or is a top-10 defense actually within reach?
