Teams › Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys All-Time Roster by Decade

NFL Dynasty rates 94 Cowboys players across 6 decades of football (1970s–2020s). The highest-rated is Emmitt Smith (RB, 97 overall), whose peak season with the team came in 1995: 1,773 rush yds, 25 TD, 62 rec. The best Cowboys defense in the game belongs to the 2000s: 15.6 points allowed per game (#2 in NFL) in 2009.

🎲 Spin for the Cowboys in NFL Dynasty →

The strongest Cowboys lineup: 2010s

Drafting the top-rated player at every position from the 2010s Cowboys board gives a team rating of 84.9 — good for an expected 13-4 season in the game, just short of the 88 team rating needed for a shot at 17-0. Against the 16-0 2007 Patriots in Boss mode, that five would win about 7.5% of the time. The thinnest Cowboys board is the 1980s (72.3).

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Tony Romo	2014	3,705 pass yds, 34 TD, 9 INT	86
RB	Ezekiel Elliott	2016	1,631 rush yds, 15 TD, 32 rec	87
WR	Dez Bryant	2014	1,320 rec yds, 16 TD, 88 rec	92
TE	Jason Witten	2010	1,002 rec yds, 9 TD, 94 rec	93
DEF	Cowboys Defense	2016	19.1 points allowed per game (#5 in NFL)	72

Best Cowboys player at every position

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Dak Prescott	2023	4,516 pass yds, 36 TD, 9 INT	88
RB	Emmitt Smith	1995	1,773 rush yds, 25 TD, 62 rec	97
WR	CeeDee Lamb	2023	1,749 rec yds, 12 TD, 135 rec	94
TE	Jason Witten	2010	1,002 rec yds, 9 TD, 94 rec	93
DEF	Cowboys Defense	2009	15.6 points allowed per game (#2 in NFL)	80

Cowboys boards, decade by decade

The top three players at each offensive position plus the best defense of each decade — what you can draft when the wheel lands on the Cowboys. Ratings run 56–99 and are era-adjusted (how ratings work).

1970s Cowboys

Best possible lineup: team rating 78.8 · expected 8-9 · 14 players on the board

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Roger Staubach	1978	3,190 pass yds, 25 TD, 16 INT, 476 rush yds	87
RB	Tony Dorsett	1978	1,325 rush yds, 7 TD, 37 rec	80
RB	Duane Thomas	1971	793 rush yds, 11 TD, 13 rec	73
RB	Walt Garrison	1972	784 rush yds, 7 TD, 37 rec	72
WR	Drew Pearson	1977	870 rec yds, 2 TD, 48 rec	75
WR	Ron Sellers	1972	653 rec yds, 5 TD, 31 rec	70
WR	Golden Richards	1974	467 rec yds, 5 TD, 26 rec	69
TE	Mike Ditka	1971	360 rec yds, 1 TD, 30 rec	65
DEF	Cowboys Defense	1978	13.0 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL)	78

1980s Cowboys

Best possible lineup: team rating 72.3 · expected 4-13 · 12 players on the board

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Steve Pelluer	1988	3,139 pass yds, 17 TD, 19 INT, 314 rush yds	71
QB	Steve Walsh	1989	1,371 pass yds, 5 TD, 9 INT	62
RB	Herschel Walker	1988	1,514 rush yds, 5 TD, 53 rec	79
RB	Tony Dorsett	1981	1,646 rush yds, 4 TD, 32 rec	78
RB	Paul Palmer	1989	446 rush yds, 2 TD, 17 rec	63
WR	Ray Alexander	1988	788 rec yds, 6 TD, 54 rec	71
WR	Mike Renfro	1985	955 rec yds, 8 TD, 60 rec	68
WR	Kelvin Edwards	1987	521 rec yds, 3 TD, 34 rec	66
TE	Steve Folsom	1989	265 rec yds, 2 TD, 28 rec	66
TE	Jay Saldi	1980	311 rec yds, 1 TD, 25 rec	65
DEF	Cowboys Defense	1982	16.1 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL)	74

1990s Cowboys

Best possible lineup: team rating 83.4 · expected 12-5 · 10 players on the board

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Troy Aikman	1992	3,445 pass yds, 23 TD, 14 INT	81
QB	Jason Garrett	1998	1,206 pass yds, 5 TD, 3 INT	68
RB	Emmitt Smith	1995	1,773 rush yds, 25 TD, 62 rec	97
WR	Michael Irvin	1995	1,603 rec yds, 10 TD, 111 rec	88
WR	Billy Davis	1998	691 rec yds, 3 TD, 39 rec	67
WR	Alvin Harper	1994	821 rec yds, 8 TD, 33 rec	66
TE	Jay Novacek	1992	630 rec yds, 6 TD, 68 rec	79
DEF	Cowboys Defense	1996	15.6 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL)	76

2000s Cowboys

Best possible lineup: team rating 77.1 · expected 7-10 · 22 players on the board

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Vinny Testaverde	2004	3,518 pass yds, 17 TD, 20 INT	72
QB	Drew Bledsoe	2005	3,639 pass yds, 23 TD, 17 INT	71
QB	Chad Hutchinson	2002	1,555 pass yds, 7 TD, 8 INT	64
RB	Marion Barber	2007	973 rush yds, 10 TD, 44 rec	76
RB	Emmitt Smith	2000	1,197 rush yds, 9 TD, 11 rec	66
RB	Julius Jones	2005	993 rush yds, 5 TD, 35 rec	66
WR	Terrell Owens	2007	1,355 rec yds, 15 TD, 81 rec	90
WR	Miles Austin	2009	1,320 rec yds, 11 TD, 81 rec	83
WR	Terry Glenn	2005	1,136 rec yds, 7 TD, 62 rec	75
TE	Jackie Harris	2000	302 rec yds, 5 TD, 38 rec	67
DEF	Cowboys Defense	2009	15.6 points allowed per game (#2 in NFL)	80

2010s Cowboys

Best possible lineup: team rating 84.9 · expected 13-4 · 21 players on the board

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Tony Romo	2014	3,705 pass yds, 34 TD, 9 INT	86
QB	Jon Kitna	2010	2,365 pass yds, 16 TD, 12 INT	71
QB	Matt Cassel	2015	1,276 pass yds, 5 TD, 7 INT	59
RB	Ezekiel Elliott	2016	1,631 rush yds, 15 TD, 32 rec	87
RB	DeMarco Murray	2014	1,845 rush yds, 13 TD, 57 rec	84
RB	Darren McFadden	2015	1,089 rush yds, 3 TD, 40 rec	75
WR	Dez Bryant	2014	1,320 rec yds, 16 TD, 88 rec	92
WR	Amari Cooper	2019	1,189 rec yds, 8 TD, 79 rec	79
WR	Laurent Robinson	2011	858 rec yds, 11 TD, 54 rec	75
TE	Jason Witten	2010	1,002 rec yds, 9 TD, 94 rec	93
TE	Martellus Bennett	2010	260 rec yds, 0 TD, 33 rec	64
TE	Blake Jarwin	2019	365 rec yds, 3 TD, 31 rec	61
DEF	Cowboys Defense	2016	19.1 points allowed per game (#5 in NFL)	72

2020s Cowboys

Best possible lineup: team rating 81.8 · expected 11-6 · 15 players on the board

Pos	Player	Season	Peak season	Rating
QB	Dak Prescott	2023	4,516 pass yds, 36 TD, 9 INT	88
QB	Andy Dalton	2020	2,170 pass yds, 14 TD, 8 INT	67
QB	Cooper Rush	2024	1,844 pass yds, 12 TD, 5 INT	58
RB	Tony Pollard	2022	1,007 rush yds, 9 TD, 39 rec	74
RB	Rico Dowdle	2024	1,079 rush yds, 2 TD, 39 rec	70
WR	CeeDee Lamb	2023	1,749 rec yds, 12 TD, 135 rec	94
WR	Jalen Tolbert	2024	610 rec yds, 7 TD, 49 rec	69
WR	Cedrick Wilson	2021	602 rec yds, 6 TD, 45 rec	68
TE	Dalton Schultz	2021	808 rec yds, 8 TD, 78 rec	79
TE	Jake Ferguson	2023	761 rec yds, 5 TD, 71 rec	74
TE	Luke Schoonmaker	2024	241 rec yds, 1 TD, 27 rec	65
DEF	Cowboys Defense	2023	18.5 points allowed per game (#5 in NFL)	71

← Cleveland Browns Denver Broncos →