2 lifetime Cowboys, one $34 million merc make ESPN's quarter-century 53-man roster

USA Today

6 hours ago

While the Cowboys have failed to turn great players and above-average rosters into championship contenders, they've certainly had their fair share of legendary members of their various rosters over the years. Yes, the team has a 30-year drought of making it to an NFC Championship game, much less hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, but it hasn't been for a lack of individual stars worthy of being called champions.
ESPN's advanced stat gurus Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder recently created an All-Quarter Century roster, putting together a complete team of the best the NFL has had to offer since the 2000 season, and three players heavily associated with the Cowboys made the cut. WR Terrell Owens, a Cowboys for three seasons on a $34 million contract, lifetime Dallas stalwart RG Zack Martin and almost-lifetime edge savant DeMarcus Ware all made the team.
Terrell Owens
Teams: 49ers (1996-2003), Eagles (2004-05), Cowboys (2006-08), Bills (2009), Bengals (2010)Résumé since 2000: 12,627 receiving yards, 123 receiving TDs, five-time All-Pro
In the 11 seasons Owens played in this quarter century, he recorded three second-place finishes in DYAR and one infamous driveway news conference. He led the league in receiving touchdowns three times, and his 80.3 receiving yards per game ranks sixth among WRs with at least 50 games played since 2000.
Owens would play through any injury for this team, as evidenced by his miraculous 122-yard performance in Super Bowl XXXIX after breaking his leg seven weeks earlier. -- Walder
Owens tenure in Dallas, as a receiver during the Tony Romo era and under both Bill Parcells and Wade Phillips, was certainly one to remember. It's often assumed part of the reason Parcells left was because of Jones' acquisition of "The Player", as Parcells referred to Owens on numerous occasions. The Cowboys went 31-23 in Owens three seasons, making the playoffs in 2006 and 2007. During his stint with Dallas he caught 235 receptions for 3,587 yards and scored 38 receiving touchdowns.
Owens' $11.6 million average salary was 11.3% of the cap back in 2006 when he was 33, the equivalent of a $31.6 million average salary under the 2025 cap.
Zack Martin
Teams: Cowboys (2014-24)Résumé since 2000: 162 starts,nine-time All-Pro
Martin's number of first-team All-Pro selections (seven) is the highest total for any guard since 2000. Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo once said Martin didn't have a weakness and had everything required of an offensive lineman at an elite level: footwork, base, punch, athleticism, strength and mind. -- Schatz
Martin retired this offseason, ending his 11-year career. He was an All-Pro every season he was healthy enough to play more than 11 games.
DeMarcus Ware
Teams: Cowboys (2005-13), Broncos (2014-16)Résumé since 2000: 138.5 sacks, 35 forced fumbles, one-time Super Bowl Champion, seven-time All-Pro
There are so many great edge rushers to choose from, but they generally come in two categories: great career totals or great peaks with a high ratio of sacks to games played. Ware had the best balance between the two. He had the third-most sacks out of all players since 2000, while his 0.78 sacks per game rank fourth among edge rushers. -- Schatz
Ware had to do what he had to do, leaving the Cowboys and earning a Super Bowl ring during his three-year stint in Denver. His numbers with the Cowboys were insane on their own and would've warranted his inclusion, as all of his All-Pro nods were with the star on his helmet as he landed 116 QBs in the dirt during those days.