Retired DT Domata Peko working with Cowboys defensive line coaches
After playing under Mike Zimmer for six years in Cincinnati, retired DT Domata Peko is now working with his defensive coaching staff in Dallas.
Mike Zimmer is looking for help installing his scheme as the new defensive coordinator of the Cowboys. It’s already led to a few former players joining the team, and now another in retired defensive tackle Domata Peko.
Based on a post from his personal Instagram page, Peko is working with Dallas’ defensive line in camp this summer. His connection to Zimmer goes back to 2008 when he was a third-year player with the Cincinnati Bengals and Zimmer was hired as their defensive coordinator. They worked together for six seasons, with Peko a full-time starter, until Zimmer left for a head coaching job in Minnesota.
Already this offseason, we’ve seen longtime Cowboys defender Greg Ellis join the coaching staff as an assistant on the defensive line. Zimmer was the DC in Dallas for most of Ellis’ career from 2000-2006 and was an assistant defensive coach from the time that Ellis was drafted; nine total seasons together. We also now have veteran LB Eric Kendricks, who was one of Zimmer’s leaders with the Vikings, joining the roster to help stabilize the middle of the defense and mentor our young prospects.
Peko, a career nose tackle, knows what Zimmer needs from the big men in the middle of his defensive line. Except for missing five games due to injury in 2009, he started every single game for the Bengals from 2007-2016. He then had a two-year run as a starter for the Denver Broncos before wrapping up his long career with stops in Baltimore and Arizona and retiring after 2020. After being just a fourth-round pick in 2006, Peko had a 15-year NFL career and spent the vast majority of it in a starting role.
Peko especially makes sense as an aid this offseason as the Cowboys work to get Mazi Smith, their 2023 first-round pick, on a more positive track after a tough rookie year. With Osa Odighizuwa holding down the 3-tech position, Smith becoming the full-time nose tackle would be ideal an Peko could be an excellent resource for that goal. They also now have rookie Justin Rogers, a seventh-round pick last April, as a developmental prospect for the 1-tech role.
With a lot of change on the defensive side of the coaching staff, the Cowboys need all the help they can get to teach and prepare their players for the upcoming season. Even if it’s just a short-term role as an advisor or intern, Domata Peko brings a wealth of experience playing for successful defenses. The last time he and Mike Zimmer worked together, the Bengals had a Top-7 defense four out of six years. Hopefully, he’ll help Zimmer keep Dallas’ defense among the league’s best units in 2024.
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