6 players you may have forgotten played for the Dallas Cowboys

There have been some big-name stars who made a living as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. But there have also been some other big names who spent time in Big D, even if their time with the Cowboys wasn’t very memorable.

Some players just do better playing with other teams. Some players are highly touted out of college and end up being a bust. That’s the reality for these six players. These playeres had ver shortlived stints in Dallas.

6 NFL players you may have forgotten played with the Dallas Cowboys

6. Ryan Leaf, QB, 2001

It sounds crazy now, but back in 1998, there were plenty of NFL general managers who thought Ryan Leaf should be the No. 1 overall pick instead of Peyton Manning. Leaf had all the physical tools to be great. He had a rocket arm, plenty of accuracy, and was the Pac-10 Player of the Year for Washington State in 1997.

What he didn’t have was the maturity to be the face of a franchise. He proved this when he blew off a meeting with the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the draft. That helped Bill Polian make the best decision of his career as he took Manning and Leaf went to stink it up with the San Diego Chargers — where he threw more picks and dropped more swear words in interviews than he ever had touchdowns.

After three frustrating seasons, he was released and landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It didn’t take them long to move on and Leaf landed in Dallas where they were desperately looking for a starter in their first post-Troy Aikman campaign. Leaf started three games for the Cowboys and had 494 yards passing with one touchdown and three picks.

The team went 0-3 in Leaf’s starts including a near-comeback against the Denver Broncos on Thanksgiving Day. Dallas put up 21 points in the final 15 minutes but still fell 26-24 in what would be the former No. 2 overall pick’s final game in the league.