Brutally Trade: Cowboys interviewing Mike Zimmer the former head coach of the Vikings, for the DC position today…
Following the departure of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who is off to Washington to become the 31st head coach in Commanders franchise history, the Dallas Cowboys are now left with a big vacancy on their coaching staff. However, that void may soon be filled by a long-time NFL coach who is very familiar with what life is like as a defensive coordinator for America’s Team.
According to sources close to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, “former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who last worked in the NFL in 2021, is meeting with the Cowboys about their defensive coordinator job.” “Zimmer and Dallas are quite familiar with each other; Zimmer worked as an assistant coach in Dallas from 1994-2006,” Schefter continued in his tweet.
Under head coach Barry Switzer, Mike Zimmer began his career with the Cowboys as a defensive assistant. After adding Deion Sanders to the team via free agency, Zimmer was promoted to defensive backs coach in his second season in Dallas, and the team went on to win the Super Bowl. Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys for his final seven years in Dallas. The Cowboys only had a top 10 scoring defense once in those seven seasons.
The 67-year-old Mike Zimmer, who finished with a 72-56-1 record in eight seasons as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, has been out of the league for the past two years, as Schefter points out. The Vikings defense finished in the top 10 in points allowed for five straight seasons during a very successful run in Minnesota.
For Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and MVP candidate quarterback Dak Prescott, who haven’t been able to help the team get over the hump after three straight seasons with twelve wins, 2024 may well prove to be a make-or-break season. Whether defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s presence on the sidelines would be sufficient to make a difference
