Building the all-time defense for the Dallas Cowboys

We’ve decided to put together an all-time team for the Dallas Cowboys. With such a great history and with so many amazing players to pass through the organization, this exercise was both fun and challenging at the same time.

This was written purely for entertainment value. It’s completely opinion-based and as such may not directly correlate with the way you personally would have gone at each position to create the Dallas Cowboys all-time team. But, that’s what makes these kind of exercises all the more interesting and entertaining. Today, we’ll put together the all-team defense. You can view the offense here.

For this exercise we are going to put the Cowboys all-time defense in a base 4-3 scheme. Determining which players fit where and which ones to leave out turned out to be an extremely difficult task to take on. The 4-3 alignment meant slotting some 3-4 players into other spots, and some players who were chess pieces that moved around a lot were also slotted into positions that we might not immediately associate them with. Opinions will certainly vary as to the players we chose and the ones we left off, but that's all part of the fun.

DE - Harvey Martin (1973-1983)

Harvey Martin was a four-time Pro Bowl player and a one-time First-Team All-Pro. He also led the league in QB sacks (20) and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1977. Despite having a fantastic 10-year career with the Dallas Cowboys and being named to the Hall of Fame All-1970s Team, he has somehow never managed to be voted into the Hall of Fame. It's truly a disappointment not to see his bust enshrined to in Canton, Ohio.

DE - Ed Jones (1974-1989)

Ed “Too Tall” Jones is another Dallas Cowboys player to make this list for the all-time defensive team who sadly hasn’t been voted into the Hall of Fame. In his 15-year career with the Cowboys organization he was a three-time consecutive Pro Bowl player and a one-time First-Team All-Pro. He played in every game in all but one season and racked up over 100 QB sacks.

DT - Bob Lilly (1961-1974)

Contrary to popular belief, the Cowboys actually had some the best defensive tackles to ever play the game, starting with Bob Lilly. He spent 13 years with the Cowboys organization and was an 11-time Pro Bowl player and a seven-time All-Pro over that span of time. He was named to the Hall of Fame All-1960s and All-1970s Team and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

DT - Randy White (1975-1988)

Randy White's career with the Cowboys started just as Bob Lilly's was ending. Can you imagine them as a DT duo and the havoc they would've caused? In White's 13-year career with the Cowboys organization he was a nine-time Pro Bowl player and a seven-time All-Pro. He was also a member of the Hall of Fame All-1980s Team and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

LB (SAM) - DeMarcus Ware (2005-2013)

DeMarcus Ware spent a few seasons as a DE with the Cowboys but was mostly an OLB in his 12 years with the organization. He's never played SAM LB in a 4-3 defense in his entire career, but that's not to say the nine-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro couldn't do it. We had to figure out some way to get the 2023 Hall of Famer on this list and this is what we ended up coming up with.

LB (MIKE) - Chuck Howley (1961-1973)

For whatever reason, Cowboys defensive players have a hard time getting voted into the Hall of Fame. Chuck Howley is another example, despite being a six-time Pro Bowl player and five-time All-Pro. He was also a Super Bowl MVP in 1970, the only player to ever be named Super Bowl MVP from the losing team. He was a true leader and one of the reasons why Dallas' defense was one of the best in the 1960s and 1970s.

LB (WILL) - Micah Parsons (2021-Present)

There's still some debate as to where Micah Parsons should be playing, LB or DE? For this exercise we plugged him in at WILL LB in order to get him on this list, but really like the idea of the freedom he'd have playing in space at that position. Already in his young career he's proven to be one of the best players to pass through the organization, evidenced by his three consecutive trips to the Pro bowl and two First-team All-Pro nominations.

CB - Mel Renfro (1964-1977)

Mel Renfro spent 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys and is still the all-time leader in interceptions (52) for the organization. He made 10 consecutive Pro Bowls (1964-1973) and was an All-Pro in in 1969. He was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996, but probably should've been a first-ballot Hall of Famer considering he was a 10-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion.

CB - Everson Walls (1981-1989)

The final CB spot came down to Everson Walls or Deion Sanders. Walls gets the nod here because he is truly underrated for what he accomplished during his time with the Cowboys. Not only was he a four-time Pro Bowl player and a First-team All-Pro, but he led the league in INT's in three different years (1981, 1982, 1985). Despite all of that, he is yet another Hall of Fame snub among great Cowboys defenders.

FS - Cliff Harris (1970-1979)

Cliff Harris had to wait a long time to finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame (2020), but at least he finally got the recognition he he deserved unlike others who are worthy on this list. He made six consecutive Pro Bowls (1974-1979) and was a three-time consecutive First-team All-Pro (1976, 1977, 1978). He had 29 career interceptions during his time in Dallas and was named to the Hall of Fame All-1970s Team.

SS - Darren Woodson (1992-2003)

Despite his worthy credentials that include making the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons (1994-1998) and three-time consecutive First-team All-Pro (1994, 1995, 1996) as well as being a three-time Super Bowl champion, Darren Woodson is yet another Cowboys defender who remains a Hall of Fame snub. He will more than likely receive his gold jacket in time, but until that happens the more time that goes by is truly disappointing.