Dallas Cowboys to waive safety Steven Parker

The Dallas Cowboys are letting go of safety Steven Parker, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Parker is a casualty of the league’s 53-man roster cut. All teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to make whatever moves that are necessary to get underneath the 53-man expectation.

Parker’s Career

Parker has been with the team ever since he signed back in September of 2020. He was originally a member of the practice squad and was elevated to the primary roster off and on throughout the year. Parker played primarily on special teams for the Cowboys last year. He finished off the year with just eight tackles, five of them solo.

The year before he did get ample playing time at the safety position for the Miami Dolphins. He played in 14 games and started four of them. He finished off the year with 20 tackles (15 solo), three pass deflections, and two interceptions. The former Oklahoma Sooners defensive back was originally an undrafted signee of the Los Angeles Rams.

At Oklahoma, Parker showed flexibility and versatility in the secondary. In both his freshman and senior year, he would line up in the nickel corner position. In his sophomore and junior years, he was their starting safety primarily. Parker completed all four years of eligibility before heading to the NFL. He would finish his collegiate career with 217 tackles (146 solo), 3.5 sacks, 20 past reflections, four fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, two interceptions, and one defensive touchdown. He also earned All-Big 12 honors twice in his collegiate career.

The Cowboys roster

With Parker heading out the door that still leaves the Cowboys with six safeties on the roster. The expected starters are Demonte Kazee and Donovan Wilson. Kazee came over in the offseason with the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, Atlanta Falcons former head coach Dan Quinn. Wilson took over at safety in his second year with the Cowboys.. He was originally a sixth-round pick of the Cowboys back in the 2019 draft. Aside from them, the Cowboys have veteran Malik Hooker and Darian Thompson fighting for playing time.

Parker was primarily a special-teams player for the Cowboys; so it was not likely that he would have been afforded any sort of roster spot guarantee. The Dallas Cowboys are looking to regroup on defense after a poor showing last season. They finished ranked 28th in points and 23rd in yards allowed which we’re both their lowest defensive rankings since the 2013 season.

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