Broncos or Cowboys? Which is Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware’s ultimate team?
DeMarcus Ware will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame at noon eastern on Saturday. Him getting a gold jacket seemed like a forgone conclusion even 10 years ago. All Ware accomplished in his 12-year career was earn four All-Pro awards, nine Pro Bowl bids, one Super Bowl trophy, and a spot on the All-2000s Team.
It’s a brilliant career that landed Ware No. 9 on the NFL’s all-time sack leader list (138.5 career sacks) which spanned nine seasons with the Cowboys before concluding in Denver for three additional seasons.
While Dallas gets credit for drafting and developing Ware, it’s the Broncos who got the honor of giving the 2023 Hall of Famer his only Super Bowl trophy. His time in Denver was a rousing success and the love between Ware and the Broncos clearly flows both ways.
His love for both cities likely prompted Ware to go into the Hall of Fame as a shared commodity. Both NFL franchises get to claim him because he proudly claims both of them.
But when the dust settles and fans look back a decade from now – two decades from now – will Ware be remembered more as a Bronco or as a Cowboy?
The Case for Denver
The argument for the Broncos begins and ends with the Super Bowl. Only when Ware went to Denver did he reach the absolute pinnacle of the game and win.
In Dallas he experienced a handful of successful seasons, but those teams never sniffed a conference championship, let alone a Super Bowl.
Ware wasn’t the alpha in Denver, but he was an important cog in the machine and an instrumental piece on their Super Bowl winning squad in 2015. He won Pro Bowl honors that season and in September of that year he took home his only Player of the Month award.
While most of Ware’s seasons were played with the Cowboys, the gravity of a Lombardi trophy carries added weight.
Does Ware’s Super Bowl hold enough weight to make up for his career with the Cowboys?
The Case for Dallas
With the No. 11 pick in the 2005 draft, Dallas made Ware a Cowboy. For as great as Ware projected as a pro, the decision to draft him wasn’t unanimous. Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones were at odds, with the coach preferring Shawne Merriman and the owner preferring the Troy product.
While Merriman had the hotter start to his career, it flamed out quickly, only delivering six total sacks after his third season. Ware, on the other hand, posted 20 sacks in his fourth season alone and would go on to set franchise sack records for the Cowboys.
The fact Ware is the Cowboys franchise leader in sacks is a clear notch on the Dallas side of the ledger. Ware logged 117 of his 138.5 career sacks with the Cowboys. He only tallied a total of 21.5 with the Broncos. That’s nearly 85 percent of his output in Dallas.
All of Ware’s All-Pro seasons came with the Cowboys and seven of his best eight seasons (measured in sacks) came in Dallas. As if that wasn’t enough, 100 percent of Ware’s touchdowns occurred with the Cowboys (two in 2006 and one in 2010).
Dallas has a pretty compelling argument in this debate.
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Conclusion
As a player, Ware was both a fearsome pass rusher and a wonderful human. His sincerity and kindness were again on display when he sang the National Anthem in honor of his friend Demaryius Thomas, who passed away unexpectedly in 2021.
In Ware’s own words he wants to be remembered as a part of both franchises.
“It’s so cool because I got to play for Denver but also Dallas Cowboys,” Ware said at the Hall of Fame game. “I feel like both of those teams are America’s Team and to be able to sort of be a part of them, being a part of the Hall of Fame and both of those teams now, it’s just great.”
Ware clearly loves and appreciates what the Broncos did for him by getting him an NFL championship, but he picked the Cowboys owner to present him into the Hall of Fame, and that’s telling.
It’s important to point out, Ware was also the cornerstone of the defense throughout his career in Dallas. In Denver, that honor went to Von Miller.
Ware picked both franchises and both franchises get to claim Ware to some degree. But it’s the Cowboys who will be forever linked most with Ware because even for as much weight as a Super Bowl trophy carries, it doesn’t make up for his long list of accomplishments with the Cowboys and his status as an all-time great in Dallas.
