Breaking News: Cowboys Hire Ex-Vikings Coach For a Defensive Coordinator Role…

His defensive line development has seen Micah Parsons become a perennial All-Pro, DeMarcus Lawrence become an elite run defender and Osa Odighizuwa become a polished pass rusher from the interior as well.

Zimmer, who was an assistant coach with the Cowboys from 1994 to 2006 including the final seven seasons as defensive coordinator, most recently served in the NFL as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 2021. He also served as a consultant under Deion Sanders at Jackson State University in 2022.

The 2003 version of Zimmer’s Dallas defense gave up the fewest yards in the NFL under a 4-3 scheme. Two seasons later, he would change his defense to a 3-4 under the preference of newly hired head coach Bill Parcells.

His time as a head coach with the Vikings saw him reach the postseason three times including an appearance in the NFC Championship Game in 2017. His eight seasons saw him put together a 72-56-1 overall record and a 2-3 record in the postseason.

Zimmer has a strong relationship with head coach Mike McCarthy from their years facing off twice a season in the NFC North when McCarthy was with the Packers. When McCarthy was let go by the Packers in 2018, Zimmer publicly expressed his support for him by calling the firing “sad” and a “mistake.”

spent most of his recent history with the Carolina Panthers.

While the decision facing Dallas this week will come to many factors, the Cowboys organization is known for leaning on familiarity and past relationships. No candidate they interview will be able to touch Mike Zimmer in that area. Between that and his proven ability to adapt over decades of experience, he feels like the favorite to become the team’s next defensive coordinator.