Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players, Part VIII: Romo, Martin and Haley
Continuing today, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Dallas Cowboys, we present our CowboysSI.com Top 60 All-Time Greatest Players in Franchise History.
For the next 12 days, we will present the Top 60 in groups of five, leading up to Nos. 1-5 on Sept. 12.
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So, now we present Nos. 21-25. Note the criteria for selection at the bottom of the article. And if you missed any of our other pieces, check them out below.
➡️ Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players: Nos. 56-60
➡️ Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players: Nos. 51-55
➡️ Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players: Nos. 46-50
➡️ Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players: Nos. 41-45
➡️ Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players: Nos. 36-40
➡️ Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players: Nos. 31-35
➡️ Cowboys Top 60 Greatest Players: Nos. 26-30
25. OL Zack Martin
A current Cowboy who is tracking toward the Cowboys Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Martin was a first-round pick in 2014. In six NFL seasons Martin hasn’t missed a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro selection (four first-team, two second-team). He also made the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2010s, and there is enough time for him to join the rare group of Cowboys with selection to two All-Decade teams should he continue to play like this.
24. QB Tony Romo
Romo retired after the 2016 season as the Cowboy’s all-time leader in passing yards (34,183) and touchdown passes (248), a career that started with Romo making the team as an undrafted free agent in 2003. Romo’s 97.1 passer rating was fourth-best all-time at his retirement. Romo earned four Pro Bowl nods and one All-Pro selection (second team). The separator between Romo and the remaining quarterbacks on this list is, of course, the postseason. While the Cowboys not advancing past the divisional round of the playoffs during his tenure is certainly not entirely his fault, it’s hard to elevate Romo further up this list when you consider the two remaining quarterbacks (and you can guess who they are) have Super Bowl rings and Romo does not. I’m sorry, but that matters.
23. OL Tyron Smith
Smith’s career isn’t over yet but if we did this list in another 10 years Smith might rank higher. The ninth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Smith is a seven-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All-Pro (two first-team selections) and a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s. It all fits the mold of a player that could make the Hall of Fame one day, and he’s only 29. Right now, the only thing standing between him and moving up this list is a balky back. Given his age and the elite level he plays at, four or five more seasons in the NFL isn’t out of the question. But if his career ended today, like any other current Cowboys player I’ve selected, he would be in the Top 60.
22. DL Harvey Martin
If we’re talking about players that don’t get their due in Cowboys history, the conversation might start with Martin, the third-round pick out of East Texas State who played from 1973 to 1983. Martin was the Cowboys’ all-time sack leader for more than 20 years, finishing with 114 sacks, most of which were unofficial (because sacks didn’t become an official stat until 1983). The Co-MVP of Super Bowl XII, Martin was the 1977 NFL Defensive Player of the Year (a season in which Martin had 85 tackles and an unofficial 23 sacks in 13 games), a member of the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1970s (second team) and a member of four Pro Bowl teams. Martin was a first-team All-Pro just one time, but a second-teamer three other times. Martin’s acknowledged drug problems, which led to the end of his career, could explain why he’s not in the Cowboys Ring of Honor or the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He deserves a place in one of them.
21. DE Charles Haley
Haley came to the Cowboys in 1992 as a free agent from the San Francisco 49ers and made an immediate impact. Former head coach Jimmy Johnson said Haley was the “missing piece” that Cowboys defense needed, as the franchise won three Super Bowls in four years, all with Haley leading the pass rush. During his time in Dallas Haley had 34 sacks, made two Pro Bowls and was named to one All-Pro team. Haley, naturally, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is a member of the Cowboys Ring of Honor, despite playing just five years in Dallas. So while his numbers in Dallas pale in comparison to other players on this list, one could argue that his impact on those 1990s Super Bowl teams was as significant as the Triplets.
Tomorrow: Nos. 16-20.
Top 60 criteria:
Player honors — Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cowboys Ring of Honor, All-Pro selections, Pro Bowl selections, MVP awards, etc… That has to be a big part of the process.
Team success — Pro football is a team game, and as such every player on the list played a part in a successful era in Cowboys history (though success is, to some degree, in the eyes of the beholder).
Time with Cowboys — This is important. As part of this process I only took into account a player’s time WITH the Cowboys. There have been some great players that have come through Dallas, but some of them only spent a few years with the team. Depending upon how successful they and the team were during their time, that influenced whether they made the list or not. That also includes their impact and role in that success, whether there are statistics associated with that or not.
Feedback from experts — Throughout the process I consulted with two writers that have been around the Cowboys since the 1990s — Mike Fisher and Richie Whitt. Their feedback, along with the bios that I wrote on each player, played a role in where players were ranked.
