Tony Romo, Darren Woodson headline 8 Cowboys among 2024 Hall of Fame nominees
Not every player who enters the NFL has a chance to win a championship. As one of just 53 players on a roster, close to 70 if counting practice squads and 80 if counting IR, a single individual cannot change the fortunes of an entire franchise. One man can only control his own contributions, and in that vein, earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the lifetime achievement every player strives for.
The Dallas Cowboys, winner of five Super Bowls, have had their fair share of both champions and Hall of Famers. After the most recent enshrinement, that total has climbed to 22 (the club claims). Will they get any more in the near future? On Tuesday, the Hall announced this year’s class of nominees, all 173 of them. Dallas has their fair share, with seven names on the list. With no first timers, the odds are unlikely any get in, but that doesn’t mean they are any less deserving of consideration.
Here’s a look at who the seven are and where they rank on the club’s Top 100.
QB Tony Romo
Romo enjoyed 13 seasons (2004 through 2016) with the Cowboys, although he didn’t play much until his fourth year and missed most of his last two seasons. In between, though, the Cinderella story of this undrafted talent’s rise to glory rivaled the best real-life fairytales. Though he never led his team to the Super Bowl, Romo owns the highest career passer rating (97.1) of any quarterback who retired without ever making it to the title game.
Romo holds every imaginable Cowboys passing record. He has the most yards at 34,183, the most touchdowns at 248, the highest Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt at 7.03 and also broke the club’s records for fourth-quarter comebacks (24) and game-winning drives (29). The only reason he’s not atop the list is because he has a huge playoff hole on his resume.
His career was cut short by injury just when he was reaching his prime QB years, but the four-time Pro Bowler still achieved a 116 Career AV in 156 games.
Romo ranked No. 10 in our all-time Cowboys’ list of 2019.
FB Daryl Johnston
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FB Daryl Johnston spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys, from 1989 through 1999. Johnston was much more than Emmitt Smith’s escort, he was a bona fide passing-game weapon for Troy Aikman across his 11-year career. He made two Pro Bowls, in 1993 and 1994, and caught over 40 receptions on three different occasions. His Career AV of 30 across 151 games included participation in three Super Bowl championships in the 1990s.
Johnston has also been an announcer for NFL games on Fox Sports for many years.
He ranked No. 59 in our 2019 ranking of all-time Cowboys.
OL Erik Williams
(AP Photo/Fred Jewell)
Erik Williams played for a decade, from 1991 until 2000. If it weren’t for a car accident, Williams had a chance to be known as the greatest offensive lineman in Cowboys history. He’s still one of the best, making four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro squads. Big E actually won a Player of the Week award as an offensive lineman for his work against future Hall of Famer Reggie White in a 1992 contest. Williams had a Career AV of 82 over 141 games with the Cowboys.
Williams was ranked No. 34 in our Top 100 all-time Cowboys.
Center Mark Stepnoski
Stepnoski was considered too small to play in the NFL and only learned the center position once he got to Dallas, but he went on to make five straight Pro Bowls and earn a pair of Super Bowl rings snapping the ball to Troy Aikman. Of his 13 NFL seasons, he spent the first six and the last three with the Cowboys (1989 – 1994, 1999 – 2001), with a stint with Tennessee in between.
He had a Career AV of 66 over 121 starts, 133 games played. Stepnoski ranked No. 62 among our all-time Cowboys rankings in 2019.
OL Nate Newton
A three-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler, Newton actually began his pro football carer in Washington’s training camp and then two seasons with the old USFL Tampa Bay Bandits. Upon coming to Dallas in 1986, he was nicknamed “The Kitchen” (because he was even larger than Chicago’s William “The Refrigerator” Perry) and became a mainstay of the Cowboys offensive line for 13 seasons.
Newton played for Dallas from 1986 through 1998, making two All-Pro teams. Newton sports a Career AV of 107 across 198 games, 180 of them as a starter.
He was No. 27 in our Top 100 list of all-time Cowboys in 2019.
DT La'Roi Glover
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DT La’Roi Glover suited up for the Cowboys from 2002 through 2005. Glover reignited the Cowboys free agency lust when he was recruited in 2002. After back-to-back Pro Bowls in New Orleans, he went to four straight with Dallas. Though he never had more than seven sacks in a year, he was a wrecking ball for the club, earning a 49 Career AV in just four seasons.
He ranked No. 72 in our Top 100 Cowboys of all time ranking in 2019.
LB Ken Norton, Jr.
The son of a former heavyweight boxing champ, Norton can also be claimed by the San Francisco 49ers, but his first six seasons were spent in the silver and blue, where he won two of this three league titles. His fumble return for a touchdown capped off the scoring in the Cowboys’ 52-17 win over Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII.
Safety Darren Woodson
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Strong safety Darren Woodson was with the Cowboys from 1992 until 2003. Woodson converted from a collegiate linebacker to become one of the best secondary talents of his generation. Not only was he an intimidating hitter, but he excelled in coverage as well, often covering slot receivers and tight ends, allowing Dallas to remain in its base defense.
A member of three Super Bowl-winning teams, Woodson made three straight All-Pro teams and five straight Pro Bowls starting in 1994. He has the franchise mark with 813 solo tackles, chipped in with 23 interceptions and 11 sacks and is well-deserving of a future spot in the Ring of Honor. Woodson finished his career with a total AV of 94.
Wilson has been eligible since 2008 and has been a Hall of Fame Semifinalist on seven different occasions, including 2023 when he made it all the way to the final round.
Destiny had Woodson ranked No. 28 in our 2019 list of all-time Cowboys.
2024 Hall of Fame Nominees on offense
Denver Broncos running back Jamaal Charles (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
QUARTERBACKS (10): Marc Bulger, Randall Cunningham, Jake Delhomme, Doug Flutie, Rich Gannon, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Michael Vick.
RUNNING BACKS (33): Shaun Alexander, Terry Allen, Mike Alstott, Jamal Anderson, Tiki Barber, Michael Bates (also KR), Jamaal Charles, Larry Centers (FB), Stephen Davis, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn, Charlie Garner, Eddie George, Ahman Green, Priest Holmes, Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson, Daryl Johnston (FB), Thomas Jones, John Kuhn (FB), Vonta Leach, Dorsey Levens, Jamal Lewis, Eric Metcalf (also WR/PR/KR), Glyn Milburn (also WR), Lorenzo Neal (FB), Tony Richardson (FB), Robert Smith, Fred Taylor, Chris Warren, Ricky Watters, Brian Westbrook, Ricky Williams.
WIDE RECEIVERS (23): Anquan Boldin, Troy Brown (also PR/KR), Donald Driver, Antonio Freeman, Irving Fryar, Dante Hall, Devin Hester* (also PR/KR), Torry Holt*, Joe Horn, Andre Johnson*, Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Derrick Mason, Herman Moore, Muhsin Muhammad, Jordy Nelson, Andre Rison, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Steve Smith Sr., Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne*, Wes Welker.
TIGHT ENDS (3): Ben Coates, Antonio Gates, Wesley Walls.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (25): Willie Anderson* (T), Bruce Armstrong (T/G), Matt Birk (C), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), Jahri Evans (G), Kevin Glover (C/G), Olin Kreutz (C), T.J. Lang (T), Matt Light (T), Nick Mangold (C), Logan Mankins (G), Tom Nalen (C), Nate Newton (G/T), Jeff Saturday (C), Mark Schlereth (G/C), Josh Sitton (G), Chris Snee (G), Mark Stepnoski (C), Dave Szott (G), Max Unger (C), Brian Waters (G), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G).
2024 Hall of Fame Nominees on defense and special teams
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (20): John Abraham (DE also LB), Jared Allen* (DE), Dwight Freeney* (DE), La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Casey Hampton (DT/NT), Robert Mathis (DE), Haloti Ngata (DT), Leslie O’Neal (DE), Julius Peppers (DE), Simeon Rice (DE), Justin Smith (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Dana Stubblefield (DT), Henry Thomas (DT/NT), Justin Tuck (DE), Ted Washington (NT/DT), Vince Wilfork (DT/NT), Jamal Williams (DT/NT), Kevin Williams (DT), Pat Williams (DT).
LINEBACKERS (25): Jesse Armstead, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Cornelius Bennett, Lance Briggs, Keith Brooking, NaVorro Bowman, Tedy Bruschi, Karlos Dansby, Donnie Edwards, James Farrior, London Fletcher, James Harrison, Larry Izzo, Willie McGinest (also DE), Hardy Nickerson, Ken Norton Jr., Bryce Paup, Julian Peterson, Joey Porter, Takeo Spikes, Jessie Tuggle, Mike Vrabel, Patrick Willis*, Al Wilson, Lee Woodall.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (17): Eric Allen (CB), Kam Chancellor (S), Nick Collins (DB), Antonio Cromartie (CB), Dré Bly (DB), Merton Hanks (S), Rodney Harrison (S), Carnell Lake (DB), Tim McDonald (S), Eugene Robinson (DB), Samari Rolle (DB), Allen Rossum (DB), Bob Sanders (S), Charles Tillman (CB), Troy Vincent (CB), Antoine Winfield (DB), Darren Woodson* (S).
PUNTERS/KICKERS (15): David Akers (K), Gary Anderson (K), Darren Bennett (P), Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Jason Hanson (K), John Kasay (K), Sean Landeta (P), Shane Lechler (P), Brad Maynard (P), Pat McAfee (P), Brian Moorman (P), Matt Stover (K), Matt Turk (P), Mike Vanderjagt (K).
SPECIAL TEAMS (2): Josh Cribbs (KR/PR also WR), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB).
2024 Hall of Fame Senior Finalists
Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael and Art Powell and Coach/Contributor Finalist Buddy Parker.
Cowboys Top 100 of All Time (2019) links
Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Bob Hayes (AP Photo/Ferd Kaufman)
