On Wednesday, the Dallas Cowboys introduced defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. He’ll replace Dan Quinn, who is now the head coach of the Washington Commanders.
Dallas had put together a strong regular season, though it disproportionately feasted on poor quarterback play. After looking like an All-Decade defense through September, a lack of physicality, discipline, and sound run defense would be the unit’s undoing. This culminated in the 48-32 Wild Card Round loss to the Green Bay Packers, in which these flaws were epitomized and it became increasingly clear that change was a real possibility.
The supporters of Dallas may relax. In 2024, the adored Harris will make a comeback.
Regarding Harris, Zimmer remarked, “I’m excited to work with him and I’ve heard about all the great work he does.”.
Few, if any, had a larger impact on the development of cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland than Harris. Both have turned into certified difference-makers thanks to their ability to hunt for turnovers. While that skill can be hard to translate year-over-year, Harris has the backing of his bosses and his understudies.
After Quinn’s departure, Diggs backed Harris for the defensive coordinator opening.
Harris has been with the Cowboys since 2020. They blocked him from interviewing for a spot on Quinn’s staff in Washington, where some expected him to ultimately land.
After spending 15 seasons in the NFL as a cornerback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, and St. Louis Rams,
Harris immediately made the jump to the coaching ranks. He began as an intern with Miami before spending three years spent with the Chiefs in Kansas City. He worked his way up to become the defensive backs coach there from defensive assistant. Prior to his time in Dallas, he worked for Florida Atlantic University for a year as a defensive assistant.
The Cowboys are currently assembling their defensive line, with Quinn bringing Joe Whitt to Washington and Aden Durde landing the position of coordinator in Seattle. In actuality, Zimmer’s phone rang at the press briefing at The Star as he was seated next to CEO Mike McCarthy.
“It’s somebody calling for a job,” he told us. “Really, it really was!”
As for Harris? Generally, if a fanbase is overly familiar with a position coach, something has gone either incredibly right or wrong. Given the love his players have shown for him and Zimmer’s quick confirmation that he’d be on the staff, fans should remain optimistic both about the direction of the defense and Harris’ coaching career.
