Two Dallas Cowboys make NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team; Who’s missing?
The NFL has revealed their All-Decade Team for the 2010s. And two Dallas Cowboys made the cut. But which players were snubbed?
The Dallas Cowboys are known for having one of the most star-studded teams in the NFL. And that’s been true throughout the past decade, with several players being perennial Pro Bowlers. But which Cowboys were actually named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team recently.
The league, along with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, released its list of their All-Decade Team on Monday. The list included only two members of America’s Team. Those players being left tackle Tyron Smith and right guard Zack Martin. Both players are former first-round selections by the Cowboys, with Smith being drafted ninth overall in 2011 and Martin selected 16th overall three years later.
At this point, both Smith and Martin looked to be locks to become members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day. Despite being only 29-years old, Smith is a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro. Martin actually has had a more distinguished career so far, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections for each of his first six seasons in the NFL.
Despite Smith and Martin being rightfully placed on this All-Decade list, which can be a precursor to eventual Hall of Fame selection, which Cowboys were missing? NFL.com’s Nick Shook created a list of 10 players he believes were snubbed. And former members of America’s Team made up three of them. Those names include tight end Jason Witten, wide receiver Dez Bryant, and defensive end DeMarcus Ware.
With the All-Decade talk today, is it too soon to remind folks Drew Pearson is the only person from the 1970s All-Decade team not in the Hall of Fame? Hopefully that gets fixed in the next year or so.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 6, 2020
Witten played in Dallas for 16 years after being drafted back in 2003. He was elected to the Pro Bowl 11-times, five of which took place during the 2010s. Witten is the team’s all-time receiving leader with 1,215 catches and 12,977 receiving yards.
Bryant was a first-round selection by the Cowboys in 2010. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler who is the current franchise leader in receiving touchdowns with 73, one more score than Witten.
A first-round pick in 2005, Ware played nine seasons in Dallas, recording a franchise-high 117.0 sacks during his tenure. A nine-time Pro Bowler, Ware would earn a Super Bowl championship as a member of the Denver Broncos in 2015.
Another name worth consideration is center Travis Frederick. Again, a former first-rounder, this time in 2013, Frederick was named a Pro Bowler five-times forming one of the top offensive lines in the entire NFL during the last decade. He shockingly retired last month after posting yet another Pro Bowl season but missing the previous year due to an autoimmune disease.
Next. Unveiling the Dallas Cowboys 2010-19 All-Decade Team. dark
Another member of the Dallas Cowboys missing from this All-Decade list is kicker Dan Bailey. An undrafted rookie back in 2011 out of Oklahoma State, Bailey would play seven seasons in Dallas but only be elected to the Pro Bowl once. Yet, he was considered the league’s most consistent kicker during the majority of his time with the Cowboys hitting on more than 88 percent of his field-goal attempts (186 of 211).