Best Cowboys WR's of all time

[KJJ]

Just what has he done? Lead the league in yards? TDs? Super Bowl catches? The book is far from written about Dez but greatest ever? Come on man.
He's not even the best 88!

Dez has loads of talent and the potential to be greater than any WR the Cowboys have had but he has a long way to go to be up there with Irvin, Pearson and Hayes. Dez hasn't even made a pro bowl yet or played in a playoff game. Dez's best season was in 2012 when he produced 92 catches for 1382 yards and 12 TD's. He produced that with a QB in Tony Romo who put up almost 5000 passing yards and 28 TD's. During Irvin's best season in 95 he produced 111 catches for 1603 yards and 10 TD's and he accomplished that with a QB in Troy Aikman who only passed for 3304 yards and 16 TD's. Irvin put up 5 straight 1200-plus yard receiving seasons in a run first offense that was being led by the eventual NFL's all-time leading rusher in Emmitt Smith. Unlike Irvin Dez is playing in a pass happy league where QB's routinely pass for over 4000 yards. In 1966 Bob Hayes had a 64 catch 1200-plus yard receiving season and accomplished that in only a 14 game season. That would be a pretty good season in todays game.

In 1970 Hayes averaged 26.1 yards per catch which is a Cowboys franchise record. Although Drew Pearson didn't produce eye popping numbers he was arguably the greatest clutch receiver of the 70's producing a number of huge catches that helped the Cowboys reach the SB 3 times during his career. He was the original #88 and it's because of the impact he made that Irvin and Dez were given his number. Those who rank Dez #1 amongst all Cowboys WR's are living in the here and the now. Those are FANS who probably haven't been following the Cowboys very long and Dez is the best Cowboys WR they've seen. They didn't follow the careers of Hayes, Pearson and Irvin. All they know of them is what they've heard and have seen in highlights. To truly appreciate the greatness of any player you have to of watched their games and lived the actual moments. Watching highlights of players isn't the same as living the games and the moments.

 

[mrmojo]

Irvin, Pearson and Hayes. Tony Hill is up there too, he was a special talent. Michael and Drew had different styles but the same mind set, nasty, competitive and clutch. Can't recall them ever dropping balls in key situations. The catch Drew made before the Hail Mary, on 4th down, was the definition of clutch.

 

[DMAC]

Who are the best wr in this teams history?

.1 Michael Irvin
2.Drew Pearson
3.Tony Hill
4. Bullet Bob Hayes
5. Dez Bryant

Even though he only played two seasons as a Cowboy, Lance Allworth was an all time great.

 

[dasander]

Zuriel Smith
Jeff Odgen
Ken-Yon Rambo
Danny Coale
Billy Davis

 

[percyhoward]

Irvin
Hays
Pearson
Hill
Dez

This is the correct order. So far.

 

[percyhoward]

It's actually the perfect time to compare Owens and Bryant, because they have an almost identical number of targets from Romo.

Bryant 227 of 361 (62.9%) 3299 yd (9.14 ypt) 30 td (8.31%) 7 int (1.94%) 112.2
Owens 198 of 360 (55.0%) 3105 yd (8.63 ypt) 33 td (9.17%) 19 int (5.28%) 92.4

 

[crashintonickdm]

Alvin Harper had so many big catches

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

I agree I remember him he reminded me of Paul Warfield. He only played 7 games for the Cowboys in 1973 which was his only season in Dallas but he looked terrific catching 23 passes for 389 yards and 6 TD's. I spent years wondering whatever happened to him. Information wasn't nearly as easy to come by back in those days. Drew Pearson arrived that season and I just assumed he beat him out. Stowe went onto Denver in 74 spending only 8 games there before retiring. Below is an article for those who don't remember him.


http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1472866

He sorta got Wally Pip'ed. He twisted an ankle, I believe it was, and really never made it back on the field for the Cowboys, Drew came on strong.

Stowe got hurt in a game against Philadelphia. If I'm not mistaken, after a touchdown catch he got his foot caught in the net that they raise for fieldgoals, which was new at the time. It happened in Philly, I always thought they did that on purpose. I remember that happening to someone, I think it was Stowe.

 

[Plankton]

Sherrard played in only one season for Dallas due to his injuries. Joey Galloway, Kelvin Martin, Keyshawn Johnson and probably a few more guys did more for the Cowboys.

Many are forgetting the most underrated WR to wear a Cowboy uniform: Frank Clarke. He was a very good player in the 60's.

 

[Ring Leader]

Not many remember Stowe even some long-time Cowboy fans because of his very short stint in Dallas in 73 where he only played in 7 games. He had excellent body control and great hands very reminiscent of Paul Warfield.

Was it Otto Stowe or Ron Sellers who caught the last second TD pass from Captain America to beat the 9ers for the second consecutive year in the early 1970s Championship Game?

 

[Cowboy Brian]

I am relatively young, the most dominant seasons I've personally witnessed were Miles Austin in 2009 and Terrell Owens in 2007.

I'm shocked by how many people are leaving T.O from their lists...

1. Michael Irvin
2. Drew Pearson
3. Bob Hayes
4. Terrell Owens
5. Dez Bryant

 

[MRV52]

GOLDEN RICHARDS!!!! No 1 because of name

 

[big dog cowboy]

I'm shocked by how many people are leaving T.O from their lists...

Most don't consider TO a true Cowboy. The same with Neon Deion.

 

[popp1234]

Seems about right.

Bob Hayes should be ranked higher than Tony Hill, and there is an argument to be made that he should be ranked higher than Drew Pearson, also. I would personally put Drew Pearson ahead of him (B. Hayes).

 

[KJJ]

Was it Otto Stowe or Ron Sellers who caught the last second TD pass from Captain America to beat the 9ers for the second consecutive year in the early 1970s Championship Game?

That was Sellers who caught that TD pass Stowe didn't become a Cowboy until the following year in 73. By the way that wasn't a championship game the Cowboys lost that the following week to Washington. The Cowboys beat SF in back to back title games in 70 and 71.

 

[percyhoward]

I'm shocked by how many people are leaving T.O from their lists...

Not speaking for anyone else, but there were a ton of incompletions and INT on his targets. The risk of targeting Owens almost equaled the reward.

Owens had the largest single negative effect on Romo's INT % and completion % of any receiver. If you remove all the passes to Owens, Romo's career rating goes up from 95.8 to 96.2.

 

[irishline]

Even though he only played two seasons as a Cowboy, Lance Allworth was an all time great.

This thread isn't about all time greats though, its about the greatest WR's in Cowboy history. Using your criteria Harold Carmichael could be considered for that list. He had 589 catches for 8,985 yards and 85 touchdowns throughout his career (never mind only 1 catch for 7 yards of that was as a Cowboy).

 

[KJJ]

Even though he only played two seasons as a Cowboy, Lance Allworth was an all time great.

No doubt about that Alworth was ranked the 38th greatest player (4th greatest WR behind Rice, Hudson and Raymond Berry) on NFLN's top 100 all-time greatest players. I've seen several rankings that had him ranked very high he was special. He had a 1600 yard season in 1965 with 14 TD's but this topic is about the best "Cowboy" WR's of all-time and Alworth was pretty much finished by the time he arrived in Dallas in 1971. The Cowboys got what was left of him he only caught 48 passes in 2 seasons with the team. He helped the Cowboys some and did catch a TD pass in SB VI but he was well past his prime. On a list like this you want to rank WR's who were great players for the Cowboys. Alworth was a great WR for the Chargers and would certainly top their list of the best WR's in their history.

 

[Ring Leader]

That was Sellers who caught that TD pass Stowe didn't become a Cowboy until the following year in 73. By the way that wasn't a championship game the Cowboys lost that the following week to Washington. The Cowboys beat SF in back to back title games in 70 and 71.

Good post. I remember watching that game as a kid but had forgotten exactly which of the 3 consecutive playoff wins, two of them with the Superbowl on the line, over the 49ers that game was. All of those huge playoff wins over the same team year, after year, after year, just kind of blended together into one prolonged warm and fuzzy memory.

 

[beevomav]

Who are the best wr in this teams history?

.1 Michael Irvin
2.Drew Pearson
3.Tony Hill
4. Bullet Bob Hayes
5. Dez Bryant

Bob Hayes:
“The World’s Fastest Human” helped revolutionize the receiver position with his speed and ushered in the age of zone defenses as teams tried to devise ways to stop him. He was a threat to score any time he had the ball. He finished his career with 71 touchdowns and a staggering average of 20 yards per reception. Named to three Pro Bowls, Hayes holds all or part of 11 Cowboys records.

So my list has to put the two Hall of Fame players first.

1. Michael Irvin .............HOF
2. Bullet Bob Hayes.....HOF
3. Drew Pearson
4. Frank Clark
5. Tony Hill

Dez just has not been around long enough or done enough to be considered as one of the best ever..IMO