ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 17: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
The Dallas Cowboys are bringing back a familiar face to replace Dan Quinn as the defensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cowboys “are expected to” make ex-Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer their new defensive coordinator. Zimmer coached the Vikings from 2014 to 2021 and was a Cowboys assistant from 1994 to 2006.

 

It was reported several time over the past few days that Zimmer was a top candidate to replace Quinn, who left Dallas to take the Washington Commanders’ head coaching position. Quinn was the defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023, with the Cowboys finishing as a top-10 in scoring D each year.

The Cowboys are coming off a third straight 12-5 season, but they were eliminated by the underdog Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round. Many expected Jerry Jones to fire McCarthy after the season, but he’ll instead let him finish out the fifth year of his contract.