The Cowboys have a new defensive line coach for coordinator Mike Zimmer.
According to a report first made by Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, the Cowboys are hiring Jeff Zgonina to fill the role recently vacated by Aden Durde.
The 53-year-old Zgonina was a defensive tackle in the league for 17 seasons, playing with seven teams from 1993 to 2009. He’s been on staff with four different clubs since then, most recently the Washington Commanders, where he’d been since 2020.
The Cowboys are hiring former Commanders defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina to the same role, per sources.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 16, 2024
A seventh-round draft pick out of Purdue in 1993, Zgonina (pronounced ska-NEE-na) started his pro career with Pittsburgh. He spent time in Carolina, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Miami, and Houston, but is probably best remembered for his two stints with the St. Louis Rams that totaled five seasons and a championship in Super Bowl XXXIV.
After three years away from the game, Zgonina was hired by his last team, the Texans, to serve as their assistant defensive line coach. In 2016, he took on the same role for the New York Giants. The 49ers called him to be their defensive line coach in 2017 and 2018. He joined Washington in 2020 as assistant D-line coach, then was promoted to helm the D-line in 2022.
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Zgonina has worked under some solid defensive minds, including Wade Phillips, Jack Del Rio, Robert Saleh, Steve Spagnuolo, and most recently, Ron Rivera.
The Commanders did not retain Zgonina for Dan Quinn’s staff in 2024.
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