The Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2024 will officially be inducted on Aug. 3.
With less than a month until the annual event in Canton, Ohio, we're examining which NFL players (past and present) we think will one day receive a similar honor.
Here are three Dallas Cowboys who should eventually receive football immortality:
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb
Whether he continues to have a Hall-of-Fame career with Dallas remains to be seen, but the former first-round pick is certainly off to a good start. Lamb finished as the league’s second-leading receiver last season with 1,749 yards, 50 fewer than Miami’s Tyreek Hill.
Hill is one of only four players with more receiving yards (6,024) than Lamb (5,145) over the past four seasons. Lamb has the fifth-most receptions (395) over that span, but to truly appreciate his Hall of Fame potential, look no further than former Cowboy Michael Irvin.
With 750 catches for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns in 12 years with Dallas, Irvin was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007. Great numbers, but over his first four seasons, Lamb had 224 more catches, 12 more touchdowns and 2,177 more yards than Irvin had from 1988-1991.
Projecting his average stats over eight more seasons, Lamb would finish with 1,185 receptions, 96 touchdowns and 15,435 yards in a 12-year career, slightly better than former Texans receiver Andre Johnson, a member of this year’s Hall of Fame class.
Guard Zack Martin
Martin joined the Cowboys as the 16th-overall pick in 2014 and has 152 starts in his 10-year career. He’s currently tied with Hall of Famers Bob Lilly and Randy White for the most All-Pro nominations (7) in franchise history.
Although he’s under contract through 2025, Martin has hinted that next season will be his last. He'll join White and Lily as a first-ballot Hall of Famer when eligible.
Tight end Jason Witten
Witten became eligible for the Hall of Fame last year but has yet to make the list of 15 finalists. After joining Dallas as a third-round pick in 2003, Witten went on to set franchise records in yards (12,977) receptions (1,215) and games played (255).
Only Dez Bryant caught more touchdowns (73) with Dallas than Witten (72), but Bryant can’t match the tight end’s 11 Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro nominations. Witten’s 13,046 career yards (69 came with the Raiders) are second to only Tony Gonzalez (15,127), who joined the Hall of Fame in 2019.
Witten still has 18 years of eligibility left to make the Hall as a modern-era player. He’ll get in, but it won’t be easy. Already competing for votes with former Charger Antonio Gates, he’ll be joined by Rob Gronkowski in 2027 with the Chiefs' Travis Kelce not too far behind.
