Last season under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the Cowboys ran some kind of stunt or game on their defensive line on 292 of their 1,159 defensive snaps. That 25.2% rate was one of the league’s highest, and while it’s unlikely that new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer (who also ran Dallas’ defense from 2000 through 2006) will be that volatile with his fronts, the 2021 Vikings did run 158 stunts in Zimmer’s last season as head coach there. And in an NFL where gap versatility is the order of the day, every defense should aspire to have as many multi-position “jokers” as possible.
