Zimmer zone-busters, like Bear fronts, could improve Cowboys run D

Mike Zimmer is tasked with improving the Cowboys run defense primarily through scheme but is a Bear or Tite front even possible? From @ReidDHanson

The Bear front defense, popularized by the regular championship contender Chicago teams of the 1980s, is a defensive alignment designed to stop zone-rushing teams. Generally seen as a three-man front, it positions the three down linemen inside the opposing tackles in what’s known as a 3-0-3 alignment.

The returning rise in the popularity of the Bear front in recent years is probably directly related to a rise in usage of the outside zone offense. The Kyle Shanahan rushing scheme touches most of the NFL either through his coaching tree or through copycat coordinators. It’s an inescapable element of some of the best offenses in the NFL and most notably used by Dallas’ postseason rivals, Green Bay and San Francisco.

The Cowboys had an issue with their run defense in 2023. They gave up 4.2 yards/carry and finished dead last in rushing success rate against. Dallas’ thin defensive line, injury riddled linebacker corps, and poor run-fit discipline were the true Achillies heel for defense.

The Cowboys hope to improve that run defense largely through a coaching change and a touch of added accountability. The previous regime, led by Dan Quinn, was a well-regarded administration in which the defense thrived under throughout most his time in Dallas. But the player friendliness may have come at a cost of discipline and by the end of Quinn’s tenure in Dallas things were sloppy and changes needed to be made.

Mike Zimmer, the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, will be tasked with fixing the run defense that has recently plagued Dallas. Since the Cowboys did little to nothing to upgrade the roster over the offseason, scheme change and accountability will have to do most of the heavy lifting.

While Zimmer has been known to primarily lean on a traditional four-man front in both base and nickel looks, he has experience with odd-man fronts as well. Dating back to his time with Bill Parcells in Dallas and used sporadically in Minnesota in Bear and Tite fronts, Zimmer has played with different schemes to fit the objective at hand.

Under Quinn the Cowboys frequently used three down linemen with Micah Parsons essentially serving as the fourth lineman split out wide in either a 2- or 3-point stance. It’s not too much of a departure from a Bear front which typically has a 0-tech flanked by two 3-techs or a Tite front (something the Eagles use frequently) which has a 0- tech flanked by two 4i-techs.

Both fronts use EDGE rushers lined up wide in a 7- or 9-technique and both demand down linemen to play gap-and-a-half or even 2-gap to make the fits work.

From a schematic perspective this is a great occasional pivot for the Cowboys to make in 2024. It installs excellent run defense and supports Zimmer’s traditional coverage looks. Since zone runs perform 0.05 EPA/play worse against Bear fronts than other defenses, it also makes sense since most of the top teams in the NFL lean on zone rushing attacks. The only problem is the Cowboys personnel may not allow it to be an option.

Zimmer used this when his roster was deep in defensive tackle talent. He essentially used DTs at all three down linemen spots to make it work. In Dallas he doesn’t have those riches. Outside of Osa Odighizuwa, the situation is sparse at DT. Mazi Smith is still a wildcard and there’s no assurances depth players like Carl Davis, Denzel Daxon or Justin Rodgers even make the team.

It’s possible a couple defensive ends with inside-outside ability can play gap-and-a-half at 3 tech or 4i tech, but that might be wishful thinking since the two most likely players are Chauncey Golston and Viliami Fehoko.

As a coach, Zimmer brings plenty of options to the table in 2024 but his schemes can only be as good as the roster talent allows and that’s a big unknown at this point.

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