The Dallas Cowboys looked like locks to keep head coach Mike McCarthy following a middling 7-10 season, but it appears as though a contract snag has brought this era to an anticlimactic end. McCarthy and the Cowboys have parted ways after a 49-35 record was accentuated with just one playoff win.
One of McCarthy's biggest problems with Dallas was his inability to hire and retain top assistant coaches. One of the few solid moves he made was making former Cowboys DB coach and Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer the defensive coordinator following Dan Quinn's departure.
Zimmer, who has been on the record about not being aligned with McCarthy's vision at the beginning of the season, was able to turn the Cowboys into a team that was giving even quality offenses some major problems at the end of the season. With a new regime coming in, Zimmer is on very thin ice.
Dallas' next coach will likely bring in a new defensive coordinator, pushing Zimmer out of town. The Cowboys' staff is by no means a barren wasteland drained of all football knowledge, and knocking Zimmer out of the picture could come back to bite them in the rear end.
Cowboys defense could be ruined without Mike Zimmer after Mike McCarthy leaves
Zimmer started the year off poorly, but his defense performed much better after some adjustments. Bringing him back for a second season should be on the mind of whoever ends up taking this job, but that may not end up coming to fruition.
With Trevon Diggs suffering more injuries, a roster that was threadbare after youngsters like Mazi Smith failed to develop, and multiple Dan Quinn additions playing out of position, Zimmer did the best he could with that group. It's not totally on him this defense didn't produce multiple All-Pros.
If the Cowboys continue to follow the league trend of hiring younger, offensive-minded coaches, there is a very good chance that hire will bring in an inexperienced, overwhelmed defensive coordinator who can't use stars like Parsons correctly. That could be just as destructive, if not more so, than getting a middling offensive mind for Prescott.
The Cowboys shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water as it pertains to Zimmer, but the McCarthy era ending in such odd fashion might be all Jerry Jones needs to institute a more comprehensive house cleaning. That would be unfair to Zimmer, who generally did his job in 2024.