Welcome back to The Landry Hat’s rundown of the greatest Dallas Cowboys players to wear every number from No. 0 to No. 99, and No. 70 brings one of the toughest calls in the whole project.
The list of Cowboys who have worn it is stacked with recognizable names: Ethan Brooks, Javier Collins, Tyrone Crawford, Leonard Davis, Dale Hellestrae, Frank Kearse, Jerome Long, Zack Martin, Bob McCreary, Dale Memmelaar, Drake Nevis, Howard Richards, Bill Sandeman, Mark Stepnoski, Bob White and Rayfield Wright.
A few of those stand out right away. Stepnoski wore No. 70 as a rookie in 1989 before switching to No. 53 in 1990.
Hellestrae changed to No. 70 in 1992 after wearing No. 62 in his first season with the team in 1991, then kept it for the next decade. Leonard Davis also deserves a mention, putting together three straight Pro Bowl seasons from 2007 to 2009 and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2007.
Still, this race always came down to two names. And as difficult as the choice is, Rayfield Wright lands at No. 2.
Wright was a major force for the Cowboys during the 1970s dynasty, but his path to No. 70 was a winding one. Early in his Dallas career, he bounced around, playing tight end and defensive tackle along with offensive line duties.
He wore No. 85 in 1967 and No. 67 in 1968 before switching to No. 70 in 1969. By 1970, he had become the team’s starting right tackle.
From 1971 through 1976, Wright was at the peak of his powers. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound lineman made six Pro Bowls in six seasons and picked up five All-Pro honors, including three first-team selections and two second-team nods.
When he retired after the 1979 season, he had played in 166 regular-season games for Dallas and 22 more in the postseason, including the franchise’s first two Super Bowl wins. He was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2004 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
That leaves Zack Martin at No. 1, and the argument is simple: the accolades are impossible to ignore.
Martin came out of Notre Dame after a standout college career at left offensive tackle and was selected by Dallas with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Cowboys planned to move the 6-foot-4, 315-pound blocker to right tackle, and he immediately became one of the best in the game at the position. He made the All-Rookie Team, earned a Pro Bowl nod, was named First-Team All-Pro, and finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind only Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants.
And he just kept piling up honors.
Over 11 seasons with Dallas, Martin collected nine Pro Bowl selections, seven First-Team All-Pro honors and two Second-Team All-Pro nods. The only seasons in which he did not land on a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team were 2020, when he missed six games with a calf injury, and 2024, when an ankle injury limited him to 10 games and ultimately ended both his season and his career.
His seven First-Team All-Pro selections are the most by any offensive player in Cowboys history, and they tie him with Bob Lilly and Randy White for the most in franchise history overall. Martin may not have the championship rings Wright has, but the résumé is strong enough to make one thing clear: when he becomes eligible in 2030, Canton is waiting.
In Other News...
Cowboys Face New Controversy After Bloody Missed Call vs Giants
Sunday night in Arlington already had enough edge to it before a missed call became the most talked-about moment of the game. In the Giants 28-20 win over the Cowboys, New York running back Cam Skattebo took a hit that left him with a bloodied nose after Dallas defensive tackle Quinnen Williams grabbed his facemask, yet officials kept the flag in their pocket and play moved on.
The play is now under review by the league office, and Williams could be facing discipline for it, adding another layer to a Cowboys loss that already stings. Skattebo had returned from injury and made it count, finishing with 81 rushing yards and a touchdown as Dallas was left to sort through both the result and the controversy attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Opener Exposed A Problem Fans Already Feared
The Cowboys walked into MetLife Stadium on Sunday with a fresh season and a new defensive voice, but the first regular-season test under Christian Parker quickly turned into a familiar kind of frustration. Dallas fell 28-20 to the Giants, and the defense had trouble finding answers in coverage or generating much pressure, which made it hard to get the game under control once New York started sustaining drives.
The most telling number was the Giants success on third down, where they converted nine of 11 chances and kept the Cowboys chasing. Add in the heavy penalty count in the first half and the conservative feel of Brian Schottenheimers play-calling on offense, and the opener looked less like a clean reset than a snapshot of the issues Dallas feared would show up first. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Reignited An NFL Double Standard Debate Fans Know Well
ESPNs Monday Night Football broadcast of the Broncos-Chiefs game turned into something more than a division clash when sideline reporter Laura Rutledge addressed why Denver defender Jonathon Cooper was not available, noting his placement on the commissioners exempt list after domestic violence charges. The mention added a layer of context to a national telecast, the kind of detail broadcasters sometimes feel obligated to explain when a players absence is tied to off-field issues.
Former Broncos safety Justin Simmons quickly criticized ESPN for bringing up Coopers legal situation during the game, and the reaction spread from there. Some viewers defended the network, saying the explanation mattered because it clarified why Cooper was missing, while others questioned whether ESPN applies the same standard every time a player controversy surfaces. For NFL fans, especially in a league that has long wrestled with how to handle these moments, the debate felt familiar and far from settled. [Read more 🡒]