Your franchise doesn't get five Super Bowl championships and "America's Team" status without some pretty great players along the way. The Dallas Cowboys have seen some incredible single-season performances in their history, with some breaking records or otherwise setting the bar at their positions.
Because of the different styles of football that have come and gone since 1960, or the changes to the number of games played, you can't go simply by statistics. While some of these picks are driven by math, others are about the stories and other achievements that helped write the history of the Cowboys.
In the interest of inclusivity, we're only going to give each player one spot on the list. Some all-time greats like Emmitt Smith and DeMarcus Ware would take up a lot of real estate if we didn't.
20. QB Troy Aikman, 1993
While '93 wasn't Aikman's best year in terms of yards or touchdowns, it was the only season in which he got MVP votes and best exemplifies his excellence. Aikman led the league with a 69.1% completion percentage and finished a close second to Steve Young with a 99.0 passer rating. Leading Dallas to an 11-3 record in the games he started, and eventually the second Super Bowl win of the 90s, Aikman's name became synonymous with QB accuracy and efficiency.
19. DT Bob Lilly 1966
There are only four players in Cowboys history with unofficially "retired" numbers. We just mentioned one of them, and Lilly is another. His 1966 season is a big reason why: getting retroactively credited with 15 sacks in just 14 games. "Mr. Cowboy" finished seventh in MVP voting as an absolute menace at the line of scrimmage, helping Dallas get its first winning season and division title since entering the league in 1960.
18. CB Deion Sanders, 1998
Estimating Deion's value is so hard because much of it never showed up in the box score, shutting down his half of the field. But at 31, Sanders posted his highest INT mark with Dallas with five picks, returning one 71 yards for a score. He also posted a career-high 15.6 average on punt returns and returned two for scores. Sanders made the Pro Bowl as both a CB and KR/PR specialist.
17. RB Calvin Hill, 1969
If we were ranking the best rookie seasons in Cowboys history, Hill's would be near the top. A late first-round pick, he wasn't drafted to start but found his way into the RB1 role due to injuries and other issues with veterans ahead of him.
Hill finished second in rushing with 942 yards in 13 games, trailing Bears legend Gale Sayers by just 90 yards. Had Hill not missed a game and battled a broken toe in two others, he very easily could have led the league.
16. K Brandon Aubrey, 2023
An unexpected star was born when a 28-year-old soccer player took over as the Cowboys' kicker in 2023. Aubrey broke multiple NFL records, one for making his first 19 career attempts and another for making two kicks from 59 yards or more in the same game. Making 36-of-38 overall, including perfection from 50 yards or more, Aubrey was an immediate All-Pro and became a rare source of excitement for the kicking position.
15. RB Herschel Walker, 1988
With over 2,000 yards on offense and some strong kick return work as well, Walker emerged as one of the NFL's most potent weapons in Dallas' final season before Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson took over. This breakout year earned him MVP votes and, a few months later, a ticket to Minnesota when he was traded to the Vikings.
Had it not been for Walker's incredible 1988 campaign, the most famous trade in Cowboys, and perhaps NFL, history may have never happened.
14. QB Tony Romo, 2009
Romo had a lot of solid years, but 2009 was arguably when all of his strengths came into perfect balance while also doing the heavy lifting on offense. His 4,483 passing yards were the second-highest total of his career and put him third among all passers that year. He also had a 97.6 passer rating, driven by only throwing nine picks against 26 touchdowns.
While some would point to 2014 as Romo's peak year, he had DeMarco Murray (more on him to come) running wild and one of the all-time great offensive lines in front of him. Romo had less to work with in 2009, and more pressure on him, and still did some of his best work.
13. RB Ezekiel Elliott, 2016
Zeke's rookie season was easily his best, and an instant reward to the Cowboys for making him the fourth-overall pick. With 1,621 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, Elliott took the rushing title and carried a Dallas offense transitioning from an injured Tony Romo to a rookie Dak Prescott at quarterback. However disappointing the rest of Elliott's career may have felt to you, we should never forget just how glorious that first year was.
12. QB Dak Prescott, 2016
Prescott won Rookie of the Year over Elliott in 2016 because of performance over expectation. Zeke was supposed to take the NFL by storm, and Dak was supposed to be a third-stringer behind Tony Romo and Kellen Moore. But injuries made him QB1 just a couple of weeks before the season started, and Prescott helped lead Dallas to a shocking 13-3 record.
Dak wasn't just along for the ride, either. He broke multiple rookie QB records with his 104.9 passer rating, 67.8% completions, not throwing his first pick until his 177th attempt, and others. Zeke may have been the MVP of that offense, but Prescott's story and completely unexpected rise were more impressive in the grand scheme.
11. CB Trevon Diggs, 2021
In just his second season, Diggs posted 11 interceptions to lead the NFL and tie a 20-year-old team record. But while double-digit picks were not that unusual in the 1980s and before, they're almost unheard of in the modern era. It's only happened twice since 2007, with Xavien Howard getting 10 INTs the year before Diggs' mark.
But with 11, Diggs posted the highest number picks since Lester Hayes (13) in 1980, and three short of the Night Train Lane's NFL record of 14 that's stood since 1952.
10. CB Everson Walls, 1981
Since they're tied for the most interceptions in a season, we couldn't put Walls and Diggs too far apart. While Diggs' 11 picks came in an era where the number is more impressive, Walls' came with a far cooler story.
An undrafted tookie in 1981, Walls spent the first four weeks of the year as a backup and was making opponents pay for trying to target him, He was named a starter in Week 5 and finished the year as the league leader in picks. It was the start to one of the most legendary careers for any Cowboys defensive back.
9. TE Jason Witten, 2012
Setting records goes pretty far in getting someone on this list, and that's what Witten did in his 10th season. With 110 catches, Witten set a new bar for tight ends in NFL history. Though it's since been passed a few times as TEs have become more prominent in the passing game, Witten's mark beat out peers like Tony Gonzalez and Jimmy Graham from the same era, and all the greats who came before them.
8. RB Tony Dorsett, 1981
Before Emmitt came along, Dorsett was the definitive RB in Cowboys history. 1981 was his magnum opus: 1,646 rushing yards, over 300 more than any of his other seasons. Dorsett was already a well-established NFL star, winning the Heisman in 1976, Rookie of the Year in 1977, and a Super Bowl. But this voluminous season stands out: the one year he got MVP votes (third place).
The offseason before, offensive coordinator Dan Reeves left for Denver and head coach Tom Landry took over play-calling. According to history, Landry had struggled with how to fit Dorsett into his system when he first came into the league. But four years later, the trust was there and the production was incredible.
7. CB DaRon Bland, 2023
A fifth-round pick in 2022, Bland earned immediate respect as a rookie for solid play in a larger-than-anticipated role due to injuries. He was again thrust into heavy duty early in 2023 after a season-ending injury to Trevon Diggs, and a legendary season resulted. Bland stunningly led the league with nine interceptions, but became truly famous for returning five of them for touchdowns to set a new NFL record.
The record-breaking pick-six was one of the best moments in recent team history. It came in a Thanksgiving Day game against Washington, with Bland taking the ball over 60 yards to the endzone and dodging multiple Commanders along the way. CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz's fantastic call on the play, with Tony Romo providing color, only added to the moment for Cowboys fans.
6. QB Roger Staubach, 1971
The Cowboys didn't start being called "America's Team" until 1978, but they found "Captain America" much earlier in the decade. Staubach had been with Dallas since 1969 but only in a backup role. He started to rotate with Craig Morton in 1971, then took over in Week 8.
Tom Landry's tough decision paid off: the Cowboys won 10 straight once Staubach was named starter, all the way to their first championship in Super Bowl VI. Staubach was named MVP of that game, a 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Even with limited stats from his rotation role earlier in the year, Staubach finished second in MVP voting to Vikings DT Alan Page. Staubach became one of the league's most recognizable faces and continued to write his legend throughout the 1970s.
5. WR CeeDee Lamb, 2023
For a franchise that boats the "88 Club" and some other all-time great WRs in its history, setting new records for catches and yards in the same year is huge. That was CeeDee Lamb's 2023, setting new franchise highs with 135 catches and 1,749 yards. He also scored 12 touchdowns, though that was still well short of Dez Bryant's 16 TDs from 2014.
Lamb was already a two-time Pro Bowler and Second-team All-Pro before this year. But these marks left no doubt that he belonged with Irvin, Pearson, and Dez on the Mount Rushmore of Cowboys WRs.
While Lamb's numbers are boosted by playing 17 games that year, he smashed Michael Irvin's 1995 record of 111 catches and had 146 more yards. Even without the extra game, that 2023 season would probably still be one for the Cowboys' record books.
4. WR Michael Irvin, 1995
Wait, didn't we just say Lamb broke all of The Playermaker's records, and probably didn't need the 17th game to do it? Why would we put Irvin's signature season above Lamb's?
Again, It's not just about the stats. While the passing game was starting to evolve during the 90s, it wasn't nearly what we see today or even by the 2000s. For a WR to put up 111 catches, 1,603 yards, and 10 touchdowns in 1995 was jaw-dropping. Irvin's career bests also came as the Cowboys surged back from a 1994 NFC Championship Game loss to dominate the league and claim their third 90s dynasty Super Bowl.
3. LB DeMarcus Ware, 2008
Before DeMarcus Ware came along, the previous single-season high for sacks in Dallas was 14*, set by Jim Jeffcoat in 1986. While prolific edge rushers like Charles Haley and Greg Ellis played between them, it took Ware to finally raise the bar. He did his best work in 2008, threatening the NFL record with 20 sacks on the year.
Ware owns the three highest single-season marks for sacks in franchise history. He had 15.5 in 2010 and 19.5 the year after. But 2008 was extra special, as he joined the rare air of pass rushers to get 20 or more. Ware's name always comes up in the conversation of Dallas' all-time defensive players, and it's obvious why.
*Sacks were not officially counted until 1982. Unofficially, Harvey Martin was retroactively credited with 20 sacks in the 1977 season.
2. RB DeMarco Murray, 2014
We've had a couple of "one-hit wonders" on this list already, but nobody did the Macarena quite like DeMarco Murray in 2014. Most would assume that Emmitt Smith holds nearly every rushing record in Cowboys history, and they're mostly right. But for one sudden, out-of-nowhere season, Murray went off for a team-record 1,845 rushing yards.
2014 was a year that so many things came together in Dallas. Zack Martin's arrival on the offensive line, with Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick, was the tide that raised all ships. Murray had all-time blocking in front of him and a threatening passing game with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten leading the way.
For three years prior, Murray, a third-round pick in 2011, had struggled to stay healthy and make a consistent impact. He did make the Pro Bowl in 2013, so his fourth season wasn't exactly rags to riches.
But that 2014 team was special, arguably the Cowboys' best shot at winning a Super Bowl since the 90s. Unfortunately, they came up short in the infamous "Dez caught it" playoff game in Green Bay.
1. RB Emmitt Smith, 1995
Rushing yards are great, but points win games. And while Emmitt Smith's 1,773 yards in 1995 did get eclipsed by Murray's big year, his 25 rushing touchdowns are a franchise mark that may never be beaten.
As we mentioned before with Irvin's all-time season, those 1995 Cowboys were out for blood. Losing to the Niners the previous year, their first without Jimmy Johnson, stung hard. Getting back on the NFL throne meant a lot to them, as did proving they were still champions even without their architect.
With Larry Allen emerging as an All-Pro guard that year, Emmitt and the ground game dominated the league. Emmitt had nearly 300 yards more than the second-place rusher, the Patriots' Curtis Martin, and rode his masterpiece all the way to another Super Bowl win.
We could have put another two or three of Emmitt Smith's seasons on this list, but we wanted to celebrate some other Cowboys legends. While there's healthy debate about who the best RB in NFL history was, there's no doubt who holds that title in Dallas.
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