Miami Dolphins linebackers coach George Edwards, who worked with Zimmer in Dallas under Bill Parcells, is in line to be the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. Zimmer used a 4-3 defensive front with the Cincinnati Bengals. Edwards ran a 3-4 in Miami, and the two coached that three-man scheme with the Cowboys.
Another former Cowboys assistant, Norv Turner, is reportedly closing in on a deal to become Zimmer’s offensive coordinator. Turner, a well-respected quarterback tutor, would be making a lateral move from the same position with the Cleveland Browns, a franchise that hasn’t yet named a replacement for Rob Chudzinski.
With the Browns, Turner went through four changes at starting quarterback before veteran Jason Campbell nailed down the starting job in the second half of the 2013 season.
Minnesota was 5-10-1 last season and started three different quarterbacks — Matt Cassel, Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman, who compiled a collective 76 passer rating with 18 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
The Vikings were 13th in total offense and Turner’s system revolves around the running back position. He was the offensive coordinator of the Cowboys during their 1990s heyday, when Emmitt Smith was one of Turner’s five pupils to win a single-season rushing crown.
Adrian Peterson and an offensive line that has played together for almost every game the past two seasons provide above-average building blocks for Turner’s offense.