The Dallas Cowboys’ history is one of the best in the NFL. So why not run an All-Time franchise draft while football comes back in late July?
Nov 21, 1971; Washington, DC, USA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach (12) is pressured by Washington Redskins defensive end Jimmie Jones (82) at RFK Stadium.
Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Is there a better thing to do in early July, the NFL’s most boring time of the year, than an All-Time Dallas Cowboys draft?
I mean, I guess you could go to the beach or Disneyland but hey, you gotta do what you can. So my friend and Mundo NFL collaborator Luis Obregon and I dove into the history books to draft our all-time Cowboys teams for a show we host in Spanish covering the Cowboys.
I’m writing this to share the results and hopefully, here back from you and your thoughts on whose was the best team. There weren’t a lot of rules, but we did agree to make multiple picks at wide receiver and running back because, why not? Also, our criteria was very open-ended. We took into account who we believe is the better player regardless of era as much as we did our personal preferences.
Let’s dive in, starting with my team starring Roger Staubach. Luis’ squad is led by Troy Aikman. Spoiler alerts but not really, right?
Roger Staubach leads the charge
QB: Roger Staubach
WR: Michael Irvin
WR: CeeDee Lamb
RB: Emmitt Smith
RB: Tony Dorsett
TE: Jay Novacek
iOL: Zack Martin
OT: Tyron Smith
EDGE: Ed “Too Tall” Jones
iDL: Bob Lilly
iLB: Lee Roy Jordan
CB: Mel Renfro
SAF: Darren Woodson
What I like about this team:
Honestly, my offense is looking great. I beat Luis to the two best running backs in Cowboys history and added Michael Irvin, too. I’m not sure you can do any better in the secondary, either. Mel Renfro and Darren Woodson were at the top of my board in their respective positions.
I can’t complain about an offensive line featuring Zack Martin and Tyron Smith. After all, we’re talking about some of the most impressive linemen in NFL history and a couple of players who could very well be first-ballot Hall of Famers.
I also took the first quarterback off the board. I realize many would prefer Aikman here but I just love the mythical aspect of Staubach’s play. Captain Comeback and Captain America all in the same player. Say no more.
Troy Aikman’s squad
QB: Troy Aikman
WR: “Bullet” Bob Hayes
WR: Dez Bryant
RB: Don Perkins
RB: Ezekiel Elliott
TE: Jason Witten
iOL: Nate Newton
OT: Larry Allen
EDGE: DeMarcus Ware
iDL: Randy White
iLB: Chuck Howley
CB: Deion Sanders
SAF: Cliff Harris
What I like about this team:
They say football is won in the trenches and I think Luis cooked there. DeMarcus Ware and Randy White combined with an offensive line of Nate Newton and Larry Allen is just perfect (Luis was a strategist taking Allen as a tackle to make Newton fit at guard).
I was a little surprised at Luis taking Bryant before I took CeeDee Lamb but he makes a compelling point: In his prime, Bryant was one of the most dominant Cowboys we have ever seen. It may not have lasted long, but it was elite football.
Deion Sanders is a fearless pick I loved. We’re talking about one of the NFL’s best athletes ever but he also stood for something more: the Cowboys pushing all the chips to the center of the table in an effort to win more Super Bowls.
Biggest snubs:
As fun as this exercise was, you always hate to know you left out some pretty big names. If I had to sum it up to the five biggest snubs, I think these five make up the list:
WR Drew Pearson
LB Ken Norton Jr.
EDGE Harvey Martin
EDGE Jim Jeffcoat
CB Everson Walls
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