During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the Dallas Cowboys are the focus.
Faces of the Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo
Tony Romo had arguably the best season of his career last year, picking up a playoff win and reaching career highs in completion percentage (69.9) and passer rating (113.2). While the dominant rushing style of DeMarco Murray certainly helped the offense, the Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the league and that unit only got stronger. With this offensive line, the Cowboys should be able to maintain a balanced offensive attack and Tony Romo should be able to thrive again this year. Tony Romo has been a consistent quarterback in terms of statistical production and Cowboys fans support him wholeheartedly, but the perfect final touch to his resume would be a Super Bowl championship. He probably has three seasons left and the Cowboys should be contenders, so his legacy as a Cowboy great is largely dependent on whether he can win the big game.
Jason Witten
Jason Witten has been a fixture at the tight end position for the Dallas Cowboys for more than 10 years. Throughout his career, he has built up a resume that will be difficult for the Hall of Fame committee to pass up. He has racked up 10,502 receiving yards and 57 receiving touchdowns throughout his illustrious career. Although his numbers have dropped slightly in recent years, he is still a top-notch blocker and a reliable weapon for Tony Romo. Witten is a veteran leader and his presence is essential to the chemistry of the team, even if his production on the field is not as elite anymore. However, just like Tony Romo, a Super Bowl championship would be the perfect way to complete his dominant career.
Dez Bryant
Now that Dez Bryant and the Cowboys have finalized a five-year, $70 million contract, the talented wide receiver’s spot as one of the faces of the team is locked in. This Cowboys team relies heavily on offensive output, so it makes sense that all three players in this article come from that side of the ball. Bryant is known as a passionate player on the field who has struggled with off-field problems in the past, but he has put that part of his life behind him. On the field, there’s no questioning his talent. At worst, Dez Bryant is a top five receiver in the league, and that’s pretty remarkable considering the amount of talented receivers that play in this pass-happy era of football. Bryant led the league in receiving touchdowns last year with 16 and posted a very respectable 1,320 receiving yards. He has surpassed Jason Witten as Tony Romo’s favorite target and he is a major reason this team will contend in 2015.
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