Dallas Cowboys: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time
123. . Center. (1995-96). Ray Donaldson. 6. player
Two seasons, two Pro Bowls. That’s not a bad short stint as a free agent. And that’s exactly what the Cowboys got when they signed longtime veteran center Ray Donaldson to replace Mark Stepnoski in 1995.
Donaldson was a former second-round selection out of Georgia during the 1980 NFL Draft. Selected by the then-Baltimore Colts, the center would spend his first 13 seasons with the Colts.
He earned himself four straight Pro Bowl nominations between 1986 to 1989 playing for the Colts in Indianapolis. After a successful two-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks, the 37-year old Donaldson came to Dallas.
The 17-year NFL veteran fit in seamlessly to the Cowboys’ offensive line that already featured legends like Nate Newton and Larry Allen, earning himself two more Pro Bowl nods.
Unfortunately, an ankle injury ended his first season in Dallas prematurely. Donaldson was forced to watch from the sidelines, as the Cowboys would win a third Super Bowl championship in four years.