The Washington Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera this offseason. Several candidates were interviewed for the job. Ultimately, they chose Dan Quinn to be their next head coach. He had spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. There was now a vacancy at DC that the Cowboys needed to fill.
As of yesterday, Dallas hired former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator. Zimmer had a two-year hiatus from the NFL but has landed a job again. This is not the first time the 67-year-old has been with the Cowboys. From 2000-2006, Zimmer was DC under two different head coaches for Dallas. He’s back again and will look to get the most out of the talent the Cowboys have on their roster.
Former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has taken the DC job with the Dallas Cowboys
The #Cowboys are expected to hire Mike Zimmer as their defensive coordinator, per sources.
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. pic.twitter.com/jFq8KdIyNJ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 9, 2024
Mike Zimmer’s last position held in the NFL was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2014-2021. He finished with an 8-9 record in his last season and was 74-59-1 in eight years. With the Vikings, he made three playoff appearances and one lone trip to the NFC Championship game. Now, Zimmer gets the chance to rejoin the franchise that gave him his start in the NFL. Back in 1994, 34-year-old Mike Zimmer began his NFL journey as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
He worked his way through the ranks and was eventually promoted to defensive coordinator in 2000. Zimmer held that position for seven seasons. At 67, he’ll be taking over the same job he held over 15 years ago. As a DC in the NFL, Zimmer is known for his hard-nosed defensive approach. Luckily, Zimmer has talent on all three levels of his defense with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland, and Trevon Diggs.
Refreshed after two years away, Mike Zimmer has been preparing for this opportunity as #Cowboys defensive coordinator, as he explained recently on The Insiders: pic.twitter.com/49rpRJwbFB
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 9, 2024
The 2023 season will be an important one for the Dallas Cowboys. In the last three seasons, they’ve finished 12-5, but have not made it past the divisional round of the playoffs. There were rumors that owner Jerry Jones was going to fire head coach Mike McCarthy this offseason. Jones is keeping him around for 2024. However, this will undoubtedly be his last season if Dallas cannot make a deep playoff run. McCarthy will control the offense and Mike Zimmer will be in charge of the defense.
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