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3 Former Dallas Cowboys fans would love to see play one more time

By Randy Gurzi

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 29: DeMarcus Ware #94 and Morris Claiborne #24 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate a fumble recovery in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium on December 29, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 29: DeMarcus Ware #94 and Morris Claiborne #24 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate a fumble recovery in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium on December 29, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 29: Cole Beasley #11 of the Dallas Cowboys stretches for a first down against P.J. Williams #26 of the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on November 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 29: Cole Beasley #11 of the Dallas Cowboys stretches for a first down against P.J. Williams #26 of the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on November 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /

Still in the league: Dan Bailey, Cole Beasley

Before diving into the top three retired players, there are a couple of names still in the NFL that fans would gladly take back. One of those is Dan Bailey, who was released ahead of the 2018 season.

Easily the most surprising cut of the year for Dallas, Bailey was passed over for Brett Maher who impressed the coaches with his incredibly strong leg. In their defense, Bailey had struggled the prior season which factored into their decision — as did the high price tag the veteran carried.

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In the end, we can see this was a mistake. Maher made some amazing kicks, including two from 62-yards and one from 63. However, he was erratic inside 40 and was cut following a 1-for-4 stretch in week 13 and 14. Kai Forbath has done much better as his replacement but no kicker has been more popular than Bailey in recent Cowboys history.

Another former fan-favorite to leave Dallas recently is Cole Beasley. The former undrafted wideout from SMU turned into one of the most effective slot receivers in the NFL but wasn’t brought back in 2019. Fans were upset to see him go but it came down to money as the Buffalo Bills were willing to pay more.

In his place is Randall Cobb who signed just a one-year deal which gives the Cowboys more flexibility with a lot of free agents coming up. He’s also been good with 50 receptions for 747 yards and three touchdowns — and he even had two called back this year.

As for Beasley, he’s continued to play well, hauling in 67 passes for 778 yards and a career-high six touchdowns for the Bills. With three years left on his deal (after 2019), there’s really no chance he returns to Big D — and he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the team when he left. But fans would surely be happy to see No. 11 back with his original team.

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