Several former Cowboys will be playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.
We don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but the Dallas Cowboys have the longest conference championship drought in the NFL. Yay! Finally, the team’s inability to make a playoff run can be singled out in a record that only belongs to them. Is life wonderful?
While the Cowboys endure another conference championship-less season, the same is not true for some former players who once wore the star. Some players left Dallas for more money, some left to be with a former coach, and some didn’t have a choice as they were traded away. Regardless, a change in scenery has put them in a position to play for the chance to go to the Super Bowl next weekend.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4)
There is no surprise that the Washington Commanders have the most former Cowboys since many of them followed Dan Quinn when he left. Dante Fowler was the splashiest player, leading his new team with 10 sacks on the year. Dorance Armstrong has been a little more quiet, but he sure made noise on Saturday with two sacks against the Lions. And Noah Igbinoghene has been holding down the cornerback position for them. You might remember Igbinoghene as the player the Cowboys got in return from the Miami Dolphins when they traded away Kevin Joseph. He also scored the Cowboy’s first touchdown of the season last year in the opener when Juanyeh Thomas blocked a field goal.
On the offensive side, former Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz is their starting center. Wide receiver Noah Brown isn’t included in this list, but he’s been catching passes from Jayden Daniels this year before he suffered an injury last month.
BUFFALO BILLS (2)
The often-traded Amari Cooper joined the Buffalo Bills midseason after a trade with the Cleveland Browns. He only averaged 37 yards per game across eight games with Buffalo this season. In true Cooper fashion, he sometimes fades into irrelevancy or is unavailable because of injury. He was quiet last week and didn’t do much on Sunday against Baltimore.
The Bills also picked up defensive tackle Jordan Phillips in November a day after he was released by the Cowboys. You might remember that Dallas gave the New York Giants a sixth-round pick for Phillips in August, but he only played two games with the Cowboys. He was a complete nonfactor in Dallas and only lasted long enough to satisfy the requirement of the conditional pick they gave up. Phillips isn’t splashy, but he does his part with some big-body pushback in the trenches.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1)
Rather than releasing Peyton Hendershot, the Cowboys traded him to Kansas City for a conditional seventh-round pick. After playing in the season opener, the Chiefs waived Hendershot who was signed to the practice squad a couple of days later. He’s been active for a handful of games this year and has five catches on the season. He played sparingly on Saturday against the Texans with most of his snaps coming on special teams.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (0)
The Eagles don’t have any former Cowboys players because no respectable Cowboys player would consider such treachery. That may not be the actual reason, but that’s how it is. Dallas Goedert is the closest they got. The last former Cowboys player Philly had was Robert Quinn back in 2022. It appears there’s no reason to discuss anyone on their team, so we won’t.
Last year, four former Cowboys players made it to the conference championship game:
- Randy Gregory (49ers)
- Charvarius Ward (49ers)
- Brent Urban (Ravens)
- Blake Bell (Chiefs)
