Former Dallas Cowboys player DeMarcus Ware talks during the induction ceremony for the Ring of Honor during half time in the game against the Los Angeles Rams at AT&T Stadium. Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Dallas Cowboys 'Mount Rushmore' of 2000s revealed

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI | By Tyler Reed | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 10:38 AM ET

Dallas Cowboys fans are sick of hearing about how the team has failed to have any postseason success since the 1990s.

Ring culture has bled into every sport, and now, younger fans feel like teams are not successful unless they've won a championship.

That type of thinking can damage legacies created by amazing players, and the Cowboys are a team that suffers from that.

Recently, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report created a Mt. Rushmore for every team in the NFL since 2000. The Cowboys' list is very stout.

According to Knox, DeMarcus Ware, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and Jason Witten are the greatest Cowboys of the last 25 years.

'Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten all had stretches where they could be considered the NFL's best at their respective positions. Ware is a Hall of Famer who accumulated 117 sacks over nine seasons with the Cowboys. Witten will join Ware in the Hall of Fame one day. He spent 16 of his 17 seasons in Dallas, made 11 Pro Bowls and finished his Cowboys career with 12,977 receiving yards and 72 touchdowns. Smith and Martin are likely future Hall of Famers as well. Smith was an eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro with the Cowboys, while Martin was a nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team All-Pro," wrote Knox.

If one were to make a list of the greatest Cowboys since 2000, it would be hard to put anyone ahead of the names listed in this Mt. Rushmore.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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