If everything had gone the way the Dallas Cowboys were hoping this offseason, they wouldn’t have any changes needing to be made to their coaching staff. Alas, that wasn’t the case, as their NFC East rivals, the Washington Commanders, poached defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Quinn will be taking over as the Commanders’ head coach, replacing Ron Rivera. He leaves a sizable void on the coaching staff as the Cowboys have been productive under his watch. Quinn took over a group that in the season before his arrival, was one of the worst in franchise history.
He created an opportunistic, playmaking defense that flew around the field. Under Quinn, Dallas got after the quarterback and forced turnovers at a high rate. That is what Mike Zimmer, who is tasked with replacing Quinn, is hoping to continue under his watch.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here,” Zimmer said at his introductory news conference Wednesday. “I mean, they’ve been pretty good. I’ve been in some situations where things that haven’t happened, but that happens in coaching. It happens a lot.
“We’re going to look at the players, try to figure out the best way to use them, put the scheme together and, again, we want to take the good things that they’ve done and maybe add a few more other things we’ve done good in the past.”
Zimmer is essentially taking the if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it approach in the early going. There is a lot to like about the Cowboys’ defense that is in place as they have some legitimate building blocks to be excited about.
Star edge rusher Micah Parsons was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year along with cornerback DaRon Bland. Trevon Diggs is a former All-Pro who will be returning in 2024 after suffering a knee injury last season and DeMarcus Lawrence is a Pro Bowler.
Because head coach Mike McCarthy spends so much time with the offense as the play caller, a person with Zimmer’s credentials was a huge addition in Dallas. His head coaching experience is something McCarthy liked and he knows Zimmer well from coaching against him when both were leading NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
“There are only so many minutes, so many hours in the day,” McCarthy said. “As a head coach, you are responsible for everything, but the reality is you can’t be everywhere.
“I think the importance of the leadership role on defense, outside of scheme, calling games and coaching players, there is so much more that goes on, as far as assistant coaches. I think it’s important. Mike’s experience and success he’s had at every level is what makes this a great fit.”
There is plenty of work for Zimmer to do, as he needs to fill out his staff. The Cowboys also have a few players hitting free agency, so until Zimmer knows who he will be working with, he won’t have a scheme to put together.
But, based on what he has said, don’t expect drastic changes from how the Cowboys operated in recent seasons. There is a solid foundation in place Zimmer will be looking to build upon, not tear down and start over.
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