The Dallas Cowboys Hire Former 8 Year Head Coach As New Defensive Coordinator

And more recently, after losing stud defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, who was recently announced as the head coach of NFC East rivals, the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys have been on the lookout for a replacement DC to coach what was the 5th overall defense in 2023.

With interviews with big names such as Rex Ryan and recently fired Commanders head coach, Ron Rivera, the Cowboys have no officially landed on their next defensive coordinator, per Tom Pelissero.

Mike Zimmer The New Man In Dallas

Mike Zimmer, former Minnesota Vikings head coach, who lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship game in 2017 with journeyman backup and bridge starter, Case Keenum, spent 8 fairly successful years in Minneapolis.

During his tenure, the Vikings had a consistently stout defense, lead by stalwarts like Anthony Barr, Harrison Smith and Everson Griffen. However, inconsistent offensive play and outdated scheme eventually lead Zimmer’s teams to plateau, where he was ultimately replaced with offensive guru, Kevin O’Connell.

What Will Zimmer Have To Work With In the Cowboys

The good news for Zimmer is that he will have the opportunity to work with one of the most talented defensive units in the NFL in ‘America’s Team’.

With All Pro talents like Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland and DeMarcus Lawrence, the Cowboys have playmakers at every level of the defense, and routinely have been able to smother opposing offenses.

However, one recent criticism has come from the fact that Dallas’ run defense regressed towards the end of the season, ranking 26th in the NFL over the last 5 games of the regular season.

Moreover, a tendency of the Cowboys organization of the whole is their nature to be a ‘flat track bully’; they beat up on bad teams and struggle against stronger competition.

Let’s see if Zimmer can keep the defense playing at their already high level as it was left by Quinn, and if Zimmer can shore up their inconsistent run D.