The Dallas Cowboys have found their next defensive coordinator. The team announced their hire of veteran coach Mike Zimmer to lead the defense going forward on Tuesday. Zimmer joins the Cowboys to replace Dan Quinn, who earlier this offseason accepted the head-coaching job for the Washington Commanders.
The team will hold an introductory press conference with Zimmer and Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy on Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm excited and honored to be back with a great organization," Zimmer said,via ESPN. "I'm thrilled to work with Mike McCarthy, for whom I have had a ton of respect in our NFC North days, and to do anything I can do to help the Joneses and the Cowboys."
Zimmer's hire comes shortly after Rex Ryan, the former head coach of the New York Jets (2009-2014) and Buffalo Bills (2015-2016), pushed back on Zimmer's reported Dallas hiring during an appearance on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" pregame show ahead of Super Bowl LVII. Ryan was a candidate who also interviewed for the Dallas defensive coordinator vacancy, and mere seconds after ESPN's Adam Schefter went through a detailed, on-air report about the Cowboys choosing Zimmer, Ryan disputed Schefter's reporting.
"First off, I'm not so sure Zimmer has that job right now. I'm not sure about that," Ryan said on ESPN Sunday. "I can honestly say I don't believe that's a fact right now."
Ryan appeared to be doing his best to fight for his shot at a job being the defensive coordinator for a team he believes is close to getting over the hump. Ryan said he called the Cowboys head coach at the beginning of the interview rounds to express his interest. On Monday, Schefter added additional context to the confusion that ensued following Ryan's rebuttal of Schefter's on air report.
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"The Cowboys loved Rex. Jerry Jones was 'ready to run through a wall' after listening to Rex," Schefter said Monday afternoonon "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN. "They did reach out to Rex 15 minutes before that segment just to say 'hey.'"
However, it appears that conversation did not lead to the opportunity Ryan wanted. Zimmer had an edge throughout the process given his history with the organization, so this could be looked at as something of a homecoming. He initially broke into the NFL coaching ranks with Dallas back in 1994 and was with the club all the way until 2006. He began his Cowboys career as a general assistant coach in 1994 before spending five seasons as their defensive backs coach from 1995-1999.
The final seven seasons of Zimmer's tenure with the Cowboys (2000-2006) came as the defensive coordinator. He was on the last Dallas Super Bowl-winning staff as the defensive backs coach when the team won Super Bowl XXX in 1995. The Cowboys have yet to reach the conference championship game round since with an NFL record 13 consecutive postseason appearances without getting to round three of the playoffs.
On top of that familiarity with Jones and Cowboys ownership, McCarthy should also know Zimmer quite well, as they faced one another twice a year for five seasons in the NFC North when McCarthy was coaching the Packers and Zimmer the Vikingssimultaneously from 2014-2018. Zimmer's Vikings earned a narrow edge of McCarthy's Packers in that stretch with Minnesota winning five matchups, Green Bay winning four matchups while one game played in Week 2 of the 2018 season ended a in 29-29 tie.
Zimmer, 67, last coached in the NFL in 2021 when he was still the head coach in Minnesota. For his career, he owns a 74-59-1 record (2-3 in the playoffs). On top of formerly serving as the defensive coordinator with Dallas, he also held that title with the Atlanta Falcons (2007) and Cincinnati Bengals (2008-2013). More recently, Zimmer was an analyst and consultant for Jackson State in 2022.
This defensive coordinator job with the Cowboys is arguably one of the more attractive non-head coaching jobs in the league considering the talent Dallas has on that side of the ball. Headlined by the likes of Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, DaRon Blandand others, this defense has the ability to be the top unit in the NFL. During the regular season in 2023, the Cowboys allowed 18.5 points per game and 299.7 total yards per game, which were both fifth-best in the NFL. The club also had 26 total takeaways. The Cowboys' 93 takeaways under Quinn from 2021-2023 are the most in the NFL.
Zimmer's hire comes shortly after Rex Ryan, the former head coach of the New York Jets (2009-2014) and Buffalo Bills (2015-2016), pushed back on Zimmer's reported Dallas hiring during an appearance on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" pregame show ahead of Super Bowl LVII.
The Dallas Cowboys' recent re-hire of Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator has a number of his former colleagues coming forward to share thoughts about Zimmer's new role.
Troy Aikman: “Well, I love it. I'm a big fan of Mike's, love what he was able to do in Minnesota. As a defensive coordinator, he's been successful, whether it was Dallas, Cincinnati or during his time with the Vikings. I think it's a really good fit.
In that respect, the Cowboys got it right. Zimmer's hire might not be thrilling for those who wanted a fresh name, but he's a good coach who brings something that the defense has been missing, toughness.
New Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer 'not trying to reinvent the wheel' in Dallas: 'They've been pretty good' When Dan Quinn left Dallas to take the head coaching job in Washington, Mike McCarthy needed a new defensive coordinator.
Zimmer is an excellent defensive coach who has a history of getting the most out of his best players. At every stop where he's been the DC or head coach, Zimmer's had elite players who have been among the best in the league at their respective positions.
Michael Zimmer (born June 5, 1956) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 2021.
Zimmer, 67, returns to Dallas – where he was the defensive coordinator from 2000 to 2006 and a defensive assistant for seven years prior – to assist Mike McCarthy as he heads into the fifth and final year of his contract with the team.
The Dallas Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator in Mike Zimmer .. but "new'' doesn't mean he has no plans to detonate what has been built defensively by now-Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. “We're not trying to reinvent the wheel here,'' Zimmer said in his Wednesday introductory presser at The Star.
Zimmer has long been known for leading hard-nosed defenses and his gritty approach to coaching, something that should lend perfectly to replacing Dan Quinn, who went on to become the Commanders HC after three seasons leading a top-five scoring defense in Dallas.
The Dallas Cowboys player with the most receiving yards in franchise history is Jason Witten with 12,977 yards. This all-time receiving leader is followed by Michael Irvin and Tony Hill with 11,904 yards and 7,988 yards respectively.
The Cowboys reached agreement Monday with Mike Zimmer to make the former Minnesota Vikings coach Dallas' new defensive coordinator. "I'm excited and honored to be back with a great organization," Zimmer told ESPN's Ed Werder.
With Zimmer's defense, he has played more of a physical scheme that puts a stronger emphasis on stopping the run. To do that, you usually have bigger linebacker, and different alignments up front to neutralize the running game.
The Dallas Cowboys have settled on a coaching reunion by deciding to bring back Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator to replace Dan Quinn. Zimmer is rejoining the Cowboys 18 years after serving in the same role for Dallas. He later spent eight years as Minnesota's head coach.
Zimmer spent eight seasons as the Minnesota Vikings' head coach, and was fired after the team went 8-9 in 2021 and missed the NFC Playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Zimmer is back in Dallas after spending 13 seasons there as an assistant coach. He was the defensive coordinator from 2000-06.
The team officially announced the hire on social media Tuesday. Zimmer is rejoining the Cowboys 18 years after serving in the same role for Dallas. He later spent eight years as Minnesota's head coach.
Newly hired defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer joins Jeff Zgonina (defensive line coach), Paul Guenther (defensive run game coordinator) and Greg Ellis (assistant defensive line coach) as the new faces on the coaching staff this offseason.
Zimmer is back in Dallas after spending 13 seasons there as an assistant coach. He was the defensive coordinator from 2000-06. "I've always loved Dallas, I've always loved the Cowboys. Did I ever think I'd be back?
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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