Report: Zimmer meets with Cowboys about DC role

Former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is meeting with the Dallas Cowboys about their defensive coordinator vacancy, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Zimmer, 67, has been out of the NFL since the Vikings fired him in 2021 after eight seasons in charge. He acted as a consultant for Jackson State in 2022.

The Cowboys require a new DC after the Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn, who was with Dallas for the last three years, as their new head coach.

Zimmer worked for the Cowboys from 1994 to 2006, starting as a defensive assistant before working his way up to DC in 2000. Before joining Minnesota, he also had stints as a DC with the Atlanta Falcons (2007) and the Cincinnati Bengals (2008-13).

The Vikings boasted one of the NFL's most consistently strong defenses under Zimmer but struggled in the final few years of his tenure. Minnesota ranked inside the top 10 in scoring defense five times and topped the NFL in 2017 in both points and yards allowed.

Dallas produced its best defense of the Mike McCarthy era in 2023, finishing fifth in scoring defense. However, in a one-and-done playoff appearance, the unit was embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers.