These 7 sacred numbers in Dallas should be retired

The Dallas Cowboys released the new jersey numbers for 14 recent arrivals at The Star this week. There will be more to come after the draft and the rest of free agency.

2- Juanyeh Thomas

3- Dante Fowler

15- Will Grier

20- Kaiir Elam

23- Buddy Johnson

27- Miles Sanders

33- Javonte Williams

57- Jack Sanborn

59- Kenneth Murray

63- Dakoda Shepley

65- Robert Jones

80- Parris Campbell

90- Solomon Thomas

98- Payton Turner

If you dig deep enough, you’ll find a former standout for the Cowboys who wore those numbers. Although Dallas wasted no time in erasing Ezekiel Elliott and DeMarcus Lawrence from the memory banks, didn’t they?

The one number that stands out is the 33 jersey.

The number was worn by both Tony Dorsett and Duane Thomas, running backs that delivered Super Bowl victories in the 1970s. Dorsett is on the Ring of Honor.

And yes, Damone Clark and Chidobe Awuzie have both worn 33 recently.

Yet, they were both defensive players. Not running backs.

Yet that number is handed to a running back in Williams, who may not even be the starter on opening day?

Obviously, a team with over 60 years of history behind it cannot retire the numbers of every great player to ever suit up.

You’d run out of numbers in a hurry that way.

That’s one of the reasons for the Ring of Honor. Because you can’t retire every number you’d want to.

But there are seven jersey numbers that should have been retired the minute the player wearing them retired.

The Unwearable Numbers

There are seven numbers that should be retired as soon as the player currently wearing them leaves the team. Truthfully, they should be retired today.

But, as we saw with the ham-handed firing of Tom Landry 36 years ago, getting these things right hasn’t been the strong suit at Cowboys’ HQ.

Here are what should be the unwearable six:

8- Troy Aikman

12- Roger Staubach

22- Bob Hayes & Emmitt Smith

33- Duane Thomas & Tony Dorsett

54- Chuck Howley & Randy White

74- Bob Lilly

88- Drew Pearson & Michael Irvin

A couple of disclaimers first. Yes, I am aware that Dez Bryant and CeeDee Lamb wore or currently wear the 88 and that there is “The 88 Club.”

That’s another one of Jerry Jones’ abominations I would love to do away with.

When Irvin retired, he should have been the last player to ever wear it. Among the 88s, only Pearson and Irvin have won championships while wearing them.

That clearly sets them above Bryant and Lamb.

Also, yes, I am aware there are many other numbers other than these seven that were worn by outstanding Cowboys players that are deserving of recognition.

But, again, you can only retire so many numbers and still field a team. Those 11 men listed above deserve that little extra bit of recognition beyond the Ring of Honor.

Will Jones Change This?

Probably not. Look how long it took him to get Jimmy Johnson up on the Ring of Honor along with Aikman, Smith, and Irvin.

As an aside, neither DeMarcus Ware’s nor Johnson’s pictures are shown when you go to the Ring of Honor page on the Dallas Cowboys website.

It’s only been about a year and a half since both were inducted in 2023.

But wait, it gets worse. If you go directly to the team’s official website first, you cannot find a link anywhere to the Ring of Honor page in the top menu.

Or at least I can’t. I had to do a Google search to find the page.

If anyone else can find it on the site’s front page, please let me know and I’ll happily stand corrected.

EDIT: You can find it on the official site. Just click on team on the top menu bar, then Team Home, and then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.

Still not a good look but at least it is there somewhere.

But you can easily find a link to the Jones Family Hope Lodge. Nice job honoring the history of the franchise there, front office.

Getting back to the main point, one would think he, and the front office, would understand the historical significance of these particular seven numbers. Until you think back to how he handled the Landry situation.

Jones talks a good game about the “rich tradition of the Dallas Cowboys” all the time.

But his actions, and those of the front office, say otherwise.

In The Post-Jones Era

Sooner or later, the Jones connection to the Cowboys will be forever broken. The sooner, the better.

Hopefully, new ownership will not only bring an improved product on the field but an improved appreciation for the history of the Dallas Cowboys.

There should be two steps taken as soon as possible.

Step one: The addition of Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Charlie Waters, Jason Witten, and Robert Newhouse to the Ring of Honor.

Step two: The permanent retirement of the numbers: 8, 12, 22, 33, 54, 74, and 88 with no player ever to wear them again.