Cowboys expected to hire Mike Zimmer as new defensive coordinator
The Dallas Cowboys have found the guy who will take over Dan Quinn's job on defense. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Dallas is hiring former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator. "Zimmer, 67, is the third-winningest head coach in Vikings history and long respected for his defensive prowess. A […]
The Dallas Cowboys have found the guy who will take over Dan Quinn's job on defense.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Dallas is hiring former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator.
"Zimmer, 67, is the third-winningest head coach in Vikings history and long respected for his defensive prowess. A big hire for Dallas, where Zimmer previously coached from 1994-2006," Pelissero wrote in his report on X/Twitter.
As Pelissero noted, Zimmer spent 12 seasons in Dallas where he started his NFL coaching career as a Cowboys defensive assistant and nickel coach. One year later he was promoted to defensive backs coach and made his way up to defensive coordinator in 2000. He held that role for six seasons.
After his first stint with the Cowboys, Zimmer had stops at the Atlanta Falcons (2007) and Cincinnati Bengals (2008-13) before making his way to Minnesota.
He coached the Vikings for eight seasons (2014-21), leading them to a 72-56-1 (.562) overall record, which included three playoff berths.
Zimmer is best known around the league for his brilliant defensive mind and under him, the Vikings' D steadily ranked in the top 10 for two years (2015-16) before taking over the No. 1 spot in 2017. Zimmer's defensive unit also ranked among the NFL's best in 2018 and 2019 but fell to 29th in 2020 and finished 24th in his final season.
He will now inherit an already solidified defense in Dallas that finished the 2023 season ranked fifth overall.
5 reasons why Mike Zimmer is the right man for the Cowboys DC job
Biggest one is clear.
