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The Cowboys don’t appear too interested in thinking outside the box for their defensive coordinator hire.

Zimmer was once the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys from 2000-2006. He served under head coaches Dave Campo and Bill Parcells.

He was a defensive assistant coach for Dallas from 1994-1999 before being promoted.

Zimmer was the defensive coordinator in Atlanta (2007) and Cincinnati (2008-2013). From 2014-2021 he was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

In 2022 he was a consultant at Jackson State in Deion Sanders’ final year there before moving on to Colorado.

Zimmer did not have an official football job in 2023.

Zimmer does have connections with Dallas – mainly within the front office. And his defenses were ranked highly for the most part.

More importantly, his defenses were very hard to run against.

And Dallas’ biggest issues on defense are centered up the middle at stopping the run and containing mobile quarterbacks.

Zimmer’s biggest downside is his age. At 67 years old, can he relate to – and motivate – a new generation of players?

Ron Rivera

Like Zimmer, Rivera is also in his 60s. At 62 years old, the same question of his being able to connect to younger players hangs overhead.

He has spent the last 13 seasons as a head coach – nine at Carolina and the last four at Washington.

The last time he was a defensive coordinator only was with the Chargers from 2008-2010.

His defenses were usually very good. And he would bring familiarity with the three NFC East division rivals.

Not to mention extra motivation to beat the Commanders and the man who replaced him.

Rivera was a linebacker and played for the Bears’ Super Bowl XX-winning team in 1985. He would likely revamp the Cowboys’ linebacker corps.

The Cowboys will meet will former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera about their defensive coordinator job, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources.

The Giants have agreed to terms with Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to be their next defensive coordinator, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported, per sources.

The Commanders announced the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury as the team’s offensive coordinator Monday morning. New HC Dan Quinn announced at his introductory conference today that OC Eric Bieniemy will not be on his staff in 2024.

Dan Quinn had a lot of say in the Cowboys personnel choices on defense, but the new coordinator will still have a lot of talent to work with.

With Quinn and Parsons as the catalysts, plenty of other Cowboys defenders have reaped benefits. Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland have become household names as cornerbacks with record-breaking and threatening interception totals. DeMarcus Lawrence has returned to Pro Bowl recognition and league-wide respect in 2022 and 2023. Jayron Kearse, another 2021 arrival, went from a journeyman backup to a team leader with the Cowboys. Leighton Vander Esch also saw his stock rise in 2021, thanks partially to better health but also more success in Quinn’s defense.

Some of these guys probably won’t get to show their stuff in the post-Quinn defense. Kearse is a free agent and unlikely to be re-signed with Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Markquese Bell, and Juanyeh Thomas all under contract for 2024.

 

Vander Esch has one more year on his deal but may retire given the latest setbacks with his neck. And while it will be a tough call, Lawrence’s high salary cap hit makes him a target in discussions for cap casualties.

Will the next defensive coordinator build on Quinn’s work or look to do more of a renovation? Thankfully, individually gifted stars like Parsons, Diggs, and Bland will still be here to help him along. But as we saw in 2020 with Mike Nolan, some new coordinators are too intent on making their mark and end up trying to force square pegs into round holes.