Top 50 Dallas Cowboys
Often, we talk about how difficult these lists are to put together, but nowhere was this more apparent than the Dallas Cowboys.
Formed in 1960, the Cowboys got off to a slow start, but with strong coaching and elite scouting, Dallas would become one of the best teams in Pro Football, while along the way becoming one of the most internationally franchises regardless of the sport.
They would win Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII, but while they were a good team through most of the 1980s, they were unable to win the championship and would hit rock bottom. The '90s were a different story, as they collected three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII & XXX), but while they have been to the playoffs many times since Super Bowl XXX, the Cowboys have not been there since.
The Cowboys is one of those teams where we had to leave so many great players off that we wish we could have extended it to 100. Eventually, we will do that, but if it looks like we missed one, the chances are that they just missed the cut.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
This list is based up until the 2024 Season.
Drafted in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft from Arizona State, Darren Woodson transitioned from college linebacker to safety. He initially gained experience on special teams in his rookie year, contributing to Dallas's victory in Super Bowl XXVII and adapting to the professional game's pace. By his second year in 1993, Woodson became the starting strong safety, recording…
During a time when scouting departments mostly focused on well-known college football programs, the early Dallas Cowboys front office was known for discovering overlooked talent from unusual sources. One example is Cornell Green, a two-time All-American basketball player at Utah State with no prior football experience. Acting on a tip from the Aggies’ basketball coach, legendary personnel executive Gil Brandt…
Selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft from Mississippi State, Dak Prescott was initially seen by scouts as a developmental project behind veteran Tony Romo. When Romo suffered a preseason back injury and was sidelined, Prescott was thrust into the spotlight. He responded spectacularly, recording one of the most impressive debut seasons ever for a quarterback in…
From East Texas State, Harvey Martin was drafted in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft, where he lived out every Dallas kid's dream by slipping on the silver and blue. Born and raised in the city, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound pass rusher brought terrifying closing speed to Tom Landry’s "Doomsday II" defense. He spent his first two years serving…
Before he ever set foot in Big D, "Prime Time" had already established himself as the undisputed king of gridiron swagger. Coming off a transcendent 1994 campaign in San Francisco where he captured the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and led the 49ers to a world championship, Sanders became the most coveted free agent in league history.…
Undrafted from Division I-AA Eastern Illinois in 2003, Tony Romo joined Dallas as a backup quarterback before gradually earning the confidence of head coach Bill Parcells. After three years primarily acting as a clipboard holder, Romo was inserted into the starting role during a 2006 game against the New York Giants. He quickly became a key player for the team,…
After graduating from Florida A&M in 1983, Nate Newton was not selected in the NFL draft and was overlooked by talent scouts. He initially signed as an offseason free agent with the Washington Redskins but was released before the start of the regular season. Not willing to give up on a professional football career, Newton found another opportunity with the…
Standing at a towering six feet, nine inches, Edward Lee “Too Tall” Jones possessed one of the most distinctive and accurate monikers in sports history. Out of Tennessee State, he made history in the 1974 NFL Draft by becoming the first player from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to be selected number one overall, landing directly in Tom…
A sluggish 4.7-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine sent Everson Walls undrafted out of Grambling State in 1981. Talent evaluators wrote off his raw speed, but legendary Cowboys executive Gil Brandt saw what stopwatch-obsessed scouts missed: elite instincts, fluid hip mobility, and a rare knack for snatching the football out of the air. Returning home to Dallas, Walls signed…
Before the Dallas Cowboys ever played an official game, general manager Gil Brandt utilized a loophole to secure Don Perkins. Because the expansion franchise was admitted too late for the 1960 NFL Draft, Brandt signed the University of New Mexico star to a personal-services contract, paying him a $1,500 bonus on the condition that he would play for Dallas if…
Selected in the second round of the 1965 NFL Draft from Oklahoma, Ralph Neely quickly established himself on the Dallas Cowboys’ line, helping to shape the team's initial era of success. As a consensus All-American for the Sooners, Neely combined agility, excellent footwork, and a fierce attitude in Tom Landry's scheme, securing the starting right tackle position as a rookie…
Long before America’s Team was a global marketing titan, it was a fledgling expansion franchise in desperate need of an identity. Enter Joseph Donald "Dandy Don" Meredith. A star at Southern Methodist University who was born and raised in Mount Vernon, Texas, Meredith was signed to a personal-services contract before the Cowboys even officially existed. When Dallas took the field…
When the Dallas Cowboys selected University of Iowa consensus All-American John Niland fifth overall in the 1966 NFL Draft, they made franchise history before he ever put on a helmet. Niland became the first offensive lineman Dallas selected in the first round, establishing a blueprint for heavy-investment blocking units that would define the organization across multiple generations. Niland spent his…
CeeDee Lamb, a consensus All-American from Oklahoma, was selected 19th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. He quickly gained attention under significant pressure, taking on the storied No. 88 jersey once worn by Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin. As a rookie, Lamb made an immediate impact, racking up 935 receiving yards despite a challenging season for the team with Dak…
Drafted in the third round of the 1974 NFL Draft out of Arizona State, Danny White found himself in a unique logjam. With Roger Staubach firmly entrenched under center in Dallas, White chose to start his professional career in the upstart World Football League, taking snaps for the Memphis Southmen to gain valuable quarterback reps. Following the WFL's collapse, White…
When you think of Marquette, you don’t come up with visions of football. Perhaps that is because the program shut down in 1960, the year George Andrie was a junior. This meant that during his senior year, he wasn’t playing football, and as such, slipped under the radar of many teams, but the Dallas Cowboys and especially, legendary Gil Brandt…
Ezekiel Elliott, selected fourth overall by Ohio State in the 2016 NFL Draft, made a powerful entry into Dallas. He quickly proved himself as one of the top feature backs of his time, running behind a talented offensive line. His debut season was remarkable, leading the NFL with 1,631 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. These accomplishments earned him First-Team All-Pro…
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Overcoming poor academic marks in high school, Erik Williams took a unconventional path to gridiron stardom, landing at Division II powerhouse Central State University in Ohio. There, the massive Philadelphia native helped lead the Marauders to an NAIA national title, displaying a terrifying blend of size, power, and athletic movement. When the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the third round…
During the 1990s, when the Dallas Cowboys rose to prominence with "The Triplets"—Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin—tight end Jay Novacek was the team's vital security blanket. Before joining Dallas, Novacek played five quiet seasons with the Cardinals in the desert, starting only six games. When Dallas signed him as a Plan B free agent in 1990, few expected…
