15-Year NFL Vet Reveals He's Joining the Cowboys' Coaching Staff

The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff has undergone various changes throughout the NFL offseason, including the hiring of Mike Zimmer. The 67-year-old — who held multiple coaching roles in Dallas from 1994 to 1996 — was hired as head coach Mike McCarthy's defensive coordinator back in February after ex-DC Dan Quinn left to coach the Washington Commanders.

To make Zimmer as comfortable as possible, the Cowboys have surrounded him with familiar faces. That means bringing in the likes of defensive line assistant Greg Ellis (who played six seasons under Zimmer in Dallas) and veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks (2015-2021 on Minnesota Vikings).

While the Cowboys could've stopped there, it looks like another one of Zimmer's former players has made his way to Big D

Cowboys Rumors: Domata Peko to Join Coaching Staff?

According to NFL insider Tom Downey, it appears as if retired defensive tackle Domata Peko is set to work with Zimmer and the Cowboys. While nothing has been confirmed, the 39-year-old retiree made a social media post on Tuesday thanking the organization "for this amazing opportunity."

Peko is no stranger to NFL plans after having played 214 career games across 15 seasons for four different franchises. While he was never a superstar, he still enjoyed a productive career as a starter that saw him rack up 321 solo tackles, 20 sacks, 14 broken-up passes, and three forced fumbles while earning over $47.1 million along the way, per Spotrac.

The Los Angeles native had several solid seasons throughout his career, but most of his productive work came under Zimmer's guidance in Cinciny. The two spent six seasons together with the Bengals (2008-13) while Zimmer handled DC duties, leading to Peko tallying 146 solo tackles and 8.5 sacks while only missing five games during that stretch.

Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see if Peko is officially added to Dallas' staff or if he's just in town to help with OTAs. It never hurts to have former players lend a hand, especially when the one in question only retired a few years ago.

Perhaps the Cowboys have brought in Peko in hopes of unlocking Mazi Smith's potential. After all, the former Canyons/Michigan State product was a reliable nose tackle throughout his career and the Cowboys have similar hopes for Smith going forward after a lackluster rookie campaign.

Regardless of what Peko's role is going forward, let's hope that he can make a positive impact. The Cowboys' championship drought is nearing 30 years and any help to end it would be appreciated as they head into the 2024 NFL season with the eighth-best Super Bowl LIX odds (+1400) on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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