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

Following a 28-20 defeat against the New York Giants in their season opener, the Dallas Cowboys are searching for answers across a struggling defense now coordinated by Christian Parker. Dallas overhauled its scheme terminology to streamline pre-snap calls after fielding the NFL's poorest scoring defense in 2025, where nearly half the defensive snaps belonged to players no longer on the roster.

Yet metrics from TruMedia revealed the unit produced the league's worst defensive expected points added per drive of Week 1, ranking 574th out of 576 team defensive outings recorded since the 2025 campaign began.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer attributed the collapse to breakdowns in player communication, emphasizing that secondary and younger defenders failed to confirm play signals, which left Giants running back Devin Singletary completely unmonitored on key snaps. Middle linebacker DeMarvion Overshown previously handled the green-dot helmet radio duties to relay calls, but a hamstring issue will sideline him for the upcoming clash against the Washington Commanders.