Mike Zimmer points out something unique about the Cowboys’ defense he has never experienced before

The Dallas Cowboys are preparing for their first season with their new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer but he was surprised about one thing since he arrived.

America’s Team decided to reunite with their old DC Mike Zimmer after Dan Quinn agreed to the opportunity to become the head coach with the Washington Commanders.

Quinn moved to their NFC East rival and we face off against his old franchise on two occasions in 2024.

However, he will have to try and get the edge over his successor in what could be a defensive chess match.

Zimmer joins the Cowboys on a one-year deal, his first NFL job since the Vikings

Most recently, Zimmer was in charge of the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 but decided to venture into the college football landscape for two years after his dismissal.

The 67-year-old coach put pen to paper on a one-year deal to replace the outgoing Quinn and take up the reigns of DC.

Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Zimmer spent 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys from 1994 to 2006, so he will remember the glory days of one of the greatest dynasties ever seen in the NFL.

He started as the Cowboys’ defensive assistant and was the DC at the time he transferred to the Atlanta Falcons.

The Dallas Cowboys have lost key defensive pieces during the free agency exile

Despite America’s Team losing key defensive starters like Dorance Armstrong and nickel tackle Johnathan Hankins in free agency, the team has a fantastic core of players.

Generational talent Micah Parsons, star cornerback Trevon Diggs, new rookie talent Marshawn Kneeland, and many more, are the names that Zimmer will have at his disposal.

The returning Cowboy will have been present at the OTAs and already teaching his players the schemes and playstyles for the upcoming season.

Mike Zimmer names the unusual thing he has experienced as the Dallas DC

In ESPN reporter Todd Archer’s latest interview with the DC, Zimmer confessed that he was shocked about one thing since his arrival.

“It’s like I told the defense the first day I got here. I said, this is a different deal for me. Usually when I come in, the defense is not good. You know? They’re pretty darn good,” Zimmer explained to the Cowboys Insider.

“So it’s a little different for me because we have to advance some of the things they were doing good and try to improve on the things they weren’t doing as good.”

Zimmer has almost been caught off guard by the Cowboys’ talent on the defensive side of the ball.

Dan Quinn laid the foundations for Zimmer to build off after leaving for Washington

This is a testament to Dan Quinn who would have laid the foundations for this defense and now Zimmer just needs to iron out the creases.

Quinn’s tenure as the Dallas DC gave him another shot at becoming a head coach. Furthermore, his disappointing end as the Falcons’ number one would have labeled question marks over his name for future jobs.

Nonetheless, Zimmer has articulated that this defense is in an excellent position to succeed and that is down to Dan Quinn.