It has been an offseason of departures for the Dallas Cowboys, and it might put incoming Defensive Coordinator, Mike Zimmer in an impossible situation in his first season.

It is never easy for first-year coaches or coordinators to see immediate success.

This becomes a whole lot harder when you lose as much as the Cowboys have lost in free agency.

At a minimum, the Dallas defense will lose Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Neville Gallimore, and the recently medically released Leighton Vander Esch. This does not include the long list of Cowboys defensive starters who are still on the free agency market.

Guys like Stephon Gilmore, Johnathon Hankins, and Jayron Kearse could also leave.

This is not the only challenge facing Zimmer in his first year back in Dallas; he must also take on the task of adjusting his new players to his scheme.

Considering the entire Dallas defense has been developing in the Dan Quinn system for the past three years, it makes Zimmer’s task of transitioning the defense to his scheme that much harder.

The question here is clear: has the Cowboys’ quiet offseason strategy set Zimmer up for failure?

Player Personnel Problems

It is hard to argue that the Cowboys’ defense, right now, is better than it was in 2023.

This downgrade in both defensive talent and depth has left Dallas with a major player personnel problem.

They do not have the guys necessary to run Zimmer’s defense at a high level, and with limited draft capital and cap space, it is hard to see them getting there at any point before the 2024 season kicks off.

Considering veteran Linebacker Eric Kendricks is still the only external signing from Dallas, it seems like we can expect that to be the only one on defense this offseason.

Eric Kendricks, 32, finished second among Chargers defenders with 117 tackles last season – his 8th consecutive season with at least 100 tackles. He spent seven seasons in Minnesota with Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer. https://t.co/SKjTyq0ncd

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 14, 2024

The addition of Kendricks, the guy who ran Zimmer’s defense for years, is helpful.

It does not fully fix the linebacker problem, however, and new holes on the defensive line and in the secondary means Dallas has more weaknesses than they can strengthen.

In short, Zimmer is going to have to get everything he can out of his limited player personnel options if the Cowboys are going to be successful, which is the front office’s fault, not his.

Defensive Heavy Draft

Zimmer might not have the defense he needs on the roster, but he does have a lot of weight behind his voice in the draft room, considering his immense experience and defensive knowledge.

He has to use this to his advantage once April comes around.

The Cowboys, for all their weaknesses on offense, have to consider going with a defensive-heavy draft plan.

Dallas needs to draft the best player available at a position of need at each selection.

If that means drafting a defensive end, linebacker, and defensive tackle in the first, second, and third rounds, so be it.

An interesting observation about the #Cowboys preliminary meetings with combine players:

• Edgerrin Cooper LB / McKinnley Jackson DT, Texas A&M
• Junior Colson LB / Kris Jenkins DT, Michigan
• Jaylan Ford LB / T’Vondre Sweat DT, Texas

If Mike Zimmer is looking to fix the run… pic.twitter.com/kzHtRMFoz0

— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) February 28, 2024

They can’t be scared to go too heavy on either side of the ball. If the Cowboys were being honest, they are likely looking at a soft rebuild for the 2024 season before getting back to a full-roster in 2025.

Thus, if you have to push back drafting your bell-cow running back until 2025, that is fine.

The same goes for the offensive line, where Dallas has enough in-house options to run out a solid starting five even without drafting somebody.

If Zimmer has the chance to get a guy like Texas’s T’Vondre Sweat in the second round, even after drafting a defensive player in the first, he has to make a strong case to the front office to pull the trigger.

Don’t Scapegoat Zimmer

Let’s say Zimmer puts his foot down in the draft room and gets the defensive draft class he wants, and Dallas retains a couple of their outstanding free agents.

That might still not be enough to make this group elite in 2024.

Between the scheme switch, loss of talent, and potential influx of rookies, it is not going to be an easy transition for the defense.

Zimmer can not become a scapegoat for the organization and the fans if there are growing pains.

At the end of the day, the Cowboys’ problems run much deeper than any defensive coordinator and scheme switch; it should be the front office, not Zimmer, who takes the brunt for a disappointing 2024 if it happens.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said he’s very aware of the fans’ current frustration with the franchise pic.twitter.com/wquzaRRAT9

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 14, 2024

There is a reason why Zimmer has been around the NFL for so long, and it is because he is a great defensive-minded coach.

They can build something serious here with Zimmer considering the young core of players they have, but they have to stick by him, even if it does not start great.

Zimmer has a lot to overcome in his first year in Dallas.