UPDATE:Under Mike Zimmer, Three Cowboys Defenders Will Emerge

Dan Quinn was the defensive hero the Dallas Cowboys needed not too long ago. The Cowboys allowed 29.8 points per game in 2020, which placed them 28th in the NFL. Dan Quinn’s arrival was a gift from the football gods.

The Cowboys went from allowing close to 30 points per game to just 21.1 points per game, which is 7th-best in the NFL, after Quinn was added to the team. They also had some luck in the NFL Draft when Micah Parsons was selected with their pick.

Now that Quinn is no longer with the Minnesota Vikings, Mike Zimmer, the former head coach, will take over. As the head coach of the Vikings and, prior to that, as the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, Zimmer has a long history of leading some of the best defenses in the league. Which Cowboys players will gain the most from Zimmer’s arrival on the team?

1. Mazi Smith, D.L.
Regardless of who calls the defensive plays, the Dallas Cowboys are looking for a breakout year from Mazi Smith, but it can’t hurt to have a new pair of eyes on their first-round pick from the previous round. Smith was reportedly playing for the Cowboys 30 pounds less than his 337-pound declared weight going into the NFL Draft. In addition, he was playing out of position as a 3-tech rather than a 1-tech.

The Cowboys may have done it to get all of their most skilled players on the field at once, which makes sense. Otherwise, I’m not exactly sure why they did it. However, Zimmer might gain more by simply returning Smith to his natural environment and asking him to perform the tasks that initially made him so good.

Even if Smith’s first-round selection investment might result in higher overall returns at the 3-tech, there will still be possibilities to disrupt plays from the 1-tech position. Smith needs to have a breakthrough year in 2024 in order to help the Cowboys’ awful-looking NFL Draft class.

2. Safety, Juanyeh Thomas
The safety post is one of the most important positions in Mike Zimmer’s defense. Donovan Wilson isn’t quite a “breakout” prospect, but with Zimmer in charge—who has taught some amazing safety in the past—he might be able to reach new heights. He has worked with undrafted players like Anthony Harris as well as first-round selections like Harrison Smith.

That is encouraging for the Dallas safety room as a whole, as there are some really attractive young guys buried deep beneath the starters.
In addition, the Cowboys have some excellent depth at the position last season in addition to three starters. Juanyeh Thomas, a former Georgia Tech undrafted player whose remarkable 6-foot-3, 217-pound size makes him such an interesting breakthrough possibility, is one player Cowboys supporters have been pleading to see more of.

Thomas saw little participation in 2023 with 22 total tackles and four passes broken up; however, he may see more playing time under Zimmer in 2024 and benefit from the coaching staff’s diligent efforts in helping this young player grow.

Whether Thomas is a back-end player or a defensive chess piece, I think Zimmer will put in a lot of effort to find him a bigger role on this Dallas defense in 2024.

3. DeMarvion Exaggerated, LB
Mike Zimmer’s scheme has always been quite kind to linebackers, even if DeMarvion Overshown could have just as easily been a breakout candidate with Dan Quinn as his defensive coordinator. He and the Vikings selected versatile player Anthony Barr, who was selected to the Pro Bowl four times in a row (2015–18), as soon as he arrived in Minnesota.

The Vikings selected Eric Kendricks in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the same year they selected Barr in the first round. By the time Kendricks entered his fourth season in the league, he had already established himself as one of the top all-around linebackers in the sport and was an All Pro. Vontaze Burfict made it to the Pro Bowl in Zimmer’s last season with the Bengals.

Now that Zimmer is in Dallas, the off-ball linebacker position is one to watch, and Overshown is possibly the best player the Cowboys have at that position. Overshown’s rookie campaign was marred by a season-ending injury, but he still possesses the necessary talents to contribute to Zimmer’s and the Cowboys’ new defensive scheme on all three downs.

If he can maintain his health, he will play a major part in the 2024 season.