With any list, there are worthy omissions. This Ultimate 53-man roster is certainly no exception.
Obviously, you can't include everyone, especially with the format we used – picking a player from each of the 53 seasons. That sounds easy enough but when you go through some of those lean years of the early 60's or late 80's or even the early 2000s, it was a little challenging to make it all fit, and field a team for each position.
But as we went through the years, and with some of you fans voicing your opinions, it became obvious that a few worthy guys were left off.
So in short of me calling this a practice squad, because that would an ultimate insult, let me offer up about 10 guys who just missed the cut.
If we could have more spots, regardless of position and the era in which they played, these guys would be make it, in no particular order.
RB Walt Garrison – Probably one of the toughest players in Cowboys history. He was just everything you want a football player to be and he could play multiple spots in the backfield.
QB Don Meredith –He's the only player in the Ring of Honor not on the team. He deserves to be there for helping this franchise go from the league doormats to one of the best.
RB Robert Newhouse – He's probably the one guy I regret not having on this team more than any other. For no other reason than the fact Newhouse played 12 seasons and his final year of 1983, the lumbering fullback was still running down on special teams. That's the kind of guy any team needs.
WR Tony Hill – Many people will argue he should be in the Ring of Honor if Drew Pearson made it. Hill had 10 less catches than Pearson but had more yards and touchdowns. Obviously he played mostly in the 1980's when the Cowboys were on a downward slope.
OT Pat Donovan – A four-time Pro Bowler, he was one of the final players left off the list. Instead, we waited until the 2012 season to select Tyron Smith. But Donovan was an elite tackle for some good football teams.
P Mat McBriar – We thought we'd get cute with this position and save a roster spot, putting Danny White on the team so he could be the No. 3 QB and punter. But if we just would've taken one punter, it would've been Mat McBriar, a two-time Pro Bowler and one of the best in the NFL during his career.
Keith Davis – You can't have too many special teams players. And while this one was a tough call over Kenny "The Shark" Gant, Davis was relentless covering kicks. He willed himself to make plays, even though he was never the biggest or fastest. Reckless and fearless would both describe Davis, and describe the player you need on any team.
Andre Gurode – He has the most Pro Bowls of any player not on this team. His five straight selections from 2006-10 is the most by any Cowboys center in franchise history. He lost out to Tom Rafferty and Mark Stepnoski at the very end.
Herschel Walker – From a pure talent standpoint, it's hard to beat this guy. Walker was dynamic when he arrived in 1986 as both a runner and receiver. Obviously his talents helped the Cowboys ultimately win three Super Bowls because of the enormous trade with the Vikings. But even when he returned for two years in 1996-97, he was electrifying.
Morris Claiborne – He was initially on the list but replaced by Tyron Smith when we saw how light we were at offensive tackle. Remember it's not the best players in franchise history, but the best way to orchestrate your team using different years. The Cowboys have the highest of hopes for Claiborne with comparisons to Deion Sanders. That type of hype is worthy of consideration.
