The Dallas Cowboys are adding multiple coaches to the defensive side of things days after officially hiring defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to fill in Dan Quinn's shoes for the 2024 NFL season.

Per the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys are adding the following coaches to the staff:

• Defensive line, Jeff Zgonina
• Defensive run game coordinator: Paul Guenther
• Assistant defensive line: Greg Ellis

These additions all fit a common theme as they will bolster the defensive front more than anything else, an area the Cowboys need to improve on. 

Guenther was a member of Zimmer's staff with the Cincinnati Bengals, taking over as defensive coordinator when the latter left to be the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Guenther most recently coached in 2021 when he reunited with Zimmer in Minnesota as a Senior defensive assistant. Most of his position experience has come at linebacker.

I reached out to A to Z Sports' John Sheeran, who covers the Bengals, who had this to say about Guenther: 

"(Guenther) had the same simulated pressure/stunts tendencies as him for obvious reasons but more or less coasted on the foundation Zim established. Defense gradually got worse in his four years, specifically following 2015, and let go in 2017. Run game coordinator makes some sense just with his familiarity with linebackers and run fits."

As for Zgonina, who will coach defensive line, he comes in with the experience of a former NFL player who spent 17 years in the league, having played 219 games while starting 67. As a coach, he spent two years on Kyle Shanahan's staff in San Francisco before leaving to the Washington Commanders between 2020-2023. He's focused on defensive line as a coach.

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Speaking of former players, Greg Ellis also joins Zimmer's staff as a defensive line assistant. Although he will perhaps be the least impactful addition just based on responsibilities, he's arguably the most intriguing one.

Ellis was drafted in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, when Zimmer was coaching defensive backs for the team. You might've heard Cowboys fans still hate the team's decision to pass on Randy Moss that year… well, Ellis was the man they took instead. 

For years, people have debated whether or not Dallas screwed up by passing on Moss for Ellis. While hindsight is 20/20, the truth is Ellis wasn't a bad player.

While he's not a Hall of Famer, Ellis he became a starting defensive end for the Cowboys and made the 2007 Pro Bowl. He started 155 games for the Cowboys and recorded 77 sacks in 11 years and led the team in sacks from 2001-2005. 

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Under Dan Quinn, the Cowboys were decent versus the run but always while loading the box. Dallas will need to tweak its scheme (and most importantly, add the right players) to be able to fully lean into the multiplicity that characterizes Zimmer defenses. These additions are a start. 

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