Jerry Jones Sees 'Valid' Explanation For Cowboys' Awful Showing on Defense in Week 1

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explains why he's optimistic the defense will improve moving forward.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on during warmups prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Things were supposed to be better on defense for the Dallas Cowboys this season, but we didn't see that in Week 1.

It was a mess all around for Christian Parker's unit. The pass and run defenses struggled, the tackling was putrid and there were miscommunication issues that further plagued the defense.

When speaking to 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning, owner Jerry Jones wasn't shy about admitting his disappointment.

However, Jones remains optimistic that things will get better, and he feels that way because he understands that it can sometimes take time for a unit with so many new pieces to jell.

"The last time that I was involved in as much change as we have made this year was the first year that I bought the Dallas Cowboys and we won one game," Jones recalled. "I think that’s an explanation, a valid one. There’s a lot of change to that side of the ball. We’re very optimistic that we can play better right now than what we played there Sunday night.”

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The facts are we got a lot of new people, not necessarily young players, but we've got a lot of new people on defense doing different things that they've been doing," Jones later added. "So that's got to come together. If we keep our head down and keep working on it, it will be better than it was Sunday night."

Jones also isn't panicking because the two teams that made the Super Bowl last season, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, lost their first game of 2025. That said, he isn't downplaying the significance of Week 1.

“The first game unquestionably was important: don’t get me wrong," he said. "I saw nothing on review that tells me we should depart away from the plan we have to get better on defense.”

Are changes, more moves coming?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the field before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jones admitted that the Cowboys will "do some things differently this week," but did not go into specifics about what that would look like.

When asked about potentially making more additions to the roster, Jones said he remains open to doing that but said doing so as a reaction to just one game is "not practical."

Jerry Jones talks communication, LB issues

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the field before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As we touched on, miscommunication was a major issue for the Cowboys in Week 1, and that issue has plagued this team in the past, which made what we saw against the Giants especially concerning.

Jones pointed to that issue as one of the main things Dallas has to fix in Week 2, and he also specifically mentioned the linebackers.

“Communicate better. The (linebackers) have to fill their assigned areas on the defense," Jones explained.

One issue with getting better play out of the linebackers is Dallas is going to be short-handed for at least one game, as linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (0) during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Monday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed that the veteran linebacker will be out a week or two, which figures to push the team's third-round pick, Jaishawn Barham, into a starting role. Given his lack of NFL experience, that could make Dallas' issues with communication even worse.

The Cowboys will also be short-handed at safety, as Malik Hooker suffered a fractured elbow that will sideline him at least a few weeks following surgery.

While it's nice to see Jones keeping the optimism flowing despite an ugly start, Cowboys fans are not in that boat and won't be until the defense proves it is truly better than the dumpster fire it was last season, and has been for a few years now.

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