Welcome back to The Landry Hat's series covering the best Dallas Cowboys players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
We've come to the end of the 30s as we continue our journey toward 100 entries, and we honestly don't have a ton of options here at No. 39.
As you can see from the list below, there simply haven't been many players to don the digit for America's Team over the years. But we still have to pick a winner, so let's go ahead and take a look at this small group.
- Brandon Carr, CB
- Tyler Coyle, S
- Derrick Gainer, RB
- E.J. Jones, RB
- Ryan Neufeld, TE
- Lousaka Polite, RB
- Xavier Rhodes, CB
- Broderick Sargent, RB
- Donald Smith, DB
The most decorated player here is three-time Pro Bowl and one-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes. But seeing as how he earned all those accolades with the Minnesota Vikings and only played one single game for the Cowboys, that coming during the 2022 playoffs, he's obviously not our selection.
The only genuine option here is cornerback Brandon Carr, who had some solid seasons in Dallas but is best remembered for a play that didn't go his way.
Brandon Carr was on the wrong side of Odell Beckham Jr.'s incredible one-handed catch
A two-time First-Team All-GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) selection and a two-time All-American at Division II Grand Valley State, Carr was taken in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft at No. 140 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, with whom he spent four seasons and started all 65 games (64 regular season, one postseason) in which he appeared before signing with Dallas as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2012 campaign.
Brought in to replace Terence Newman, who'd been released for salary cap reasons, Carr played well in his first season with the Cowboys, leading the team in both passes defended (10) and interceptions (3), while also notching the first pick-six of his career off a pass thrown by Nick Foles in a Week 10 win over the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Pick-six number two came the following year against Eli Manning in the 2013 season opener in a win over the New York Giants, but it was another game against Big Blue the following year that provided a highlight involving Carr that will continue to be shown for decades to come. The problem is that he was on the wrong end of it.
In Week 12 of the 2014 season, the Cowboys visited the Giants for a rivalry showdown on Sunday Night Football, and on the opening play of the second quarter, with Dallas trailing 7-3, Carr was tasked with covering rookie wideout Odell Beckham Jr., who'd already scored a 3-yard touchdown.
On the play to open the second frame, Manning fired the ball from midfield down toward the goal line, and despite Carr dragging him down toward the ground, which drew a flag, OBJ reached behind his head and made arguably the greatest one-handed grab (or any catch, for that matter) in NFL history and fell back into the end zone for a touchdown. Yeah, you know the one.
The Cowboys overcame an 11-point deficit to win that game, 31-28, but not many remember that. And while Carr had a solid career, most will only remember him as the guy who got burned on that amazing grab.
And he honestly did have a solid career. After leaving the Cowboys following the 2016 season, he played three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before coming back for a final run with Dallas in 2020, which only turned out to be three games before he was released. And those were actually the only three games during his 13-year career that he didn't start.
In 83 regular-season games with the Cowboys, Carr tallied 316 total tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, 44 passes defended, and seven interceptions, thus easily making him the best in Dallas history to sport No. 39.
Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees
- No. 0: Well, there's literally only one option here
- No. 1: Quietly one of Dallas' better special teams weapons
- No. 2: He once stood alone in the record books
- No. 3: This player needed just one season to make his mark
- No. 4: This is a no-brainer
- No. 5: This player has the third-most points in Cowboys history
- No. 6: The winner here just edged out a Pro Bowl history maker
- No. 7: Fizzled fast after his big payday
- No. 8: Member of an elite Super Bowl club
- No. 9: Doesn't get the credit he deserves
- No. 10: Also played professional basketball
- No. 11: No, it's not Micah Parsons
- No. 12: Didn't begin his Hall of Fame career until age 27
- No. 13: Was a solid WR2 (until he wasn't)
- No. 14: Led the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl appearance
- No. 15: Won multiple titles in another sport
- No. 16: Helped a legend score his first NFL TD
- No. 17: The Cowboys' first true franchise QB
- No. 18: Still holds a team record after 30-plus years
- No. 19: Might surprise some people
- No. 20: The Cowboys' all-time interceptions leader
- No. 21: This player was always 'Prime Time' entertainment
- No. 22: The only NFL MVP in Cowboys history
- No. 23: Was a key role player for Tom Landry
- No. 24: It's not the one who won Super Bowl MVP
- No. 25: Holds a unique place in Cowboys history
- No. 26: Didn't play one down of college football
- No. 27: Held a Cowboys record for nearly 50 years
- No. 28: Holds an odd team record
- No. 29: Was allowed to walk after a historic season
- No. 30: Holds a sad NFL record as a head coach
- No. 31: Got a play banned from the NFL
- No. 32: Was also an actual cowboy
- No. 33: Holds an NFL record that can't be broken
- No. 34: Was drafted into the NBA (but not the NFL)
- No. 35: Has a son who's an NBA Hall of Famer
- No. 36: Was a strong special-teamer (when healthy)
- No. 37: Showed out in the Super Bowl (twice
- No. 38: Had a solid career after going undrafted
This list will be updated daily until all 100 entries are complete, so please be sure to check back in with The Landry Hat for updates.
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