As Wild Card weekend comes to an end tonight, the Dallas Cowboys are still taking their sweet time to decide on the future of not only the head coach Mike McCarthy, but we still don’t know the future of current defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer.
So until all this news comes about, I wanted to dive into a few names that I would keep an eye on if Mike Zimmer does not return to run the defense again in 2025.
I think Zimmer had the defense playing well at the end of the year outside the Eagles game, but the team had nothing to play for and no pressure, and that is normally when things get easier.
Al Harris
Let’s start with the most obvious and the guy who I hope the Dallas Cowboys keep on staff, regardless of if he were to get this job or not.
Harris has been one of if not the main reasons why this Cowboys secondary has been so successful over the last few years.
After retiring in 2012 and moving into coaching, Harris spent many years as an assistant for Kansas City. He joined McCarthy in Dallas as an assistant coach in the secondary and has returned for that role in 2021.
Since 2020, the Cowboys have recorded an impressive 82 interceptions, with a remarkable 73 coming from their defensive backs the most in that span showcasing their incredible ball-hawking skills.
Harris is the man I would pick over everyone if they move on from Zimmer or maybe he decides to retire.
Robert Saleh
Robert Saleh might not be a popular pick with some of the fans, but as a defensive guy, he would be a good hire.
They wouldn’t be asking if to be the head coach like was in New York, he just needs to worry about the defense, and they have plenty of talent around him.
Despite the disappointing results, the Jets ranked fourth in points allowed in 2022, 12th in 2023, and were fifth just before his dismissal.
Before joining the Jets, Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2020, where he led a formidable defense in 2019.
This would be a decent hire for the defense who is full of guys that want to win like Micah Parsons, they need another high energy guy like Dan Quinn used to be, but also hold them accountable and I think Saleh would do just that.
Matt Eberflus
Now look as a Cowboys fan from the Midwest who has a lot of friends that are Bears fans, I would not want Matt Eberflus, but looking at the way Jerry Jones does things, it just makes sense.
You know how loyal Jones is to the guys that are homegrown, and that is exactly what Eberflus is. Before he got his first major coaching gigs, he was apart of the Dallas Cowboys.
Eberflus has ties to the Cowboys organization, having previously served as their linebackers coach and passing game coordinator from 2011 to 2017.
Following his time in Dallas, Eberflus was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts from 2018 to 2021.
Look we may not even know who the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is by the end fo the week, so worrying about Mike Zimmer is probably a little much, but I wanted to talk about something other than the drama Jerry is digging up.
Let’s see how the rest of this week plays out as Mike McCarthy can start talking to new teams tomorrow at midnight.
I have no idea what is going to happen, but this is looking worse and worse by the day, and Jerry Jones is at the front of it all.