7 Greatest Dallas Cowboys players of the 21st century

2. DeMarcus Ware – LB

An argument can definitely be made that DeMarcus Ware is the greatest pass rusher to ever suit up for the Cowboys. With 117 total sacks in nine seasons with Dallas, it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t.

After the Cowboys picked him in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Ware quickly blossomed into a dangerous edge rusher on the team’s 3-4 defense. In seven of his nine years with Dallas, he finished with at least 11 sacks, including the 2008 season when he ended with an NFL leading 20 sacks.

In a Cowboys uniform, Ware was voted to seven-straight Pro Bowls and selected as a First-Team All-Pro four times. From 2006-12, no player in the league had more sacks (103) than the Dallas pass rusher. Unsurprisingly, Ware’s 117 career sacks are the most of any Cowboys defender since 1982. The fact that it only took him seven seasons to take over the crown as Dallas’ career sack leader is even more impressive.

Ware’s tenure with the Cowboys, unfortunately, came to an end after the 2013 season when he finished with just six sacks (a career low). However, he was able to continue his time in the NFL for three more years as a member of the Denver Broncos.

Ware didn’t end up spending his entire professional football career with Dallas. But when he gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, his time with the Cowboys is what people will think of first when they see him on stage in Canton.