The Dallas Cowboys have had some iconic quarterbacks throughout their storied history, including two Hall of Famers.
Founded in 1960, the Cowboys have won five Super Bowls and 10 conference championships. It wasn’t an easy task compiling a list of the best players to play the quarterback position for America’s Team. Naturally, we gravitated toward the team’s most successful signal-callers, with an emphasis on postseason and sustained success.
We also focused on players who excelled with the Cowboys more than with other teams, so players like Drew Bledsoe and Vinny Testaverde failed to make the cut.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 QBs in the history of one of professional sports’ most recognizable teams.
*Note: All titles, awards and stats listed below are from each player’s tenure with the Cowboys only. All stats are from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise stated.
10. Cooper Rush
- Years as a Cowboy: 2017-present
- Career regular season stats:
- 5-1 record as a starter
- 60.3 completion percentage
- 1,625 passing yards
- 8 TDs
- 5 INTs
- Iconic performance: Week 2 of the 2022 regular season, Rush filled in for an injured Dak Prescott and led Dallas to an upset 20-17 victory over the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium.
Signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Cooper Rush is the epitome of an underdog success story. The only rookie UDFA to make the roster out of training camp that year, he has carved out an impressive role for himself since. Rush, 30, has served as a backup for Dak Prescott his entire career with the Cowboys, which makes his inclusion on an all-time list worthy of debate, but it’s how he has performed when his number has been called that makes him stand out. He was key to the team’s playoff run in 2022, when he started five games and won four of them. As a backup, he currently ranks 17th on the team’s list of passing leaders.
9. Quincy Carter
- Years as a Cowboy: 2001-2003
- Career regular season stats:
- 16-15 record
- 56.2 completion percentage
- 5,839 yards
- 29 TDs
- 39 INTs
- 498 rushing yards
- 3 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 0-1 record
- 58.3 completion percentage
- 154 yards
- 1 INT
- Iconic performance: At Texas Stadium on November 23, 2003, he led the Cowboys to a 24-20 win over the eventual NFC Champion Carolina Panthers, throwing for 252 yards and 2 TDs.
Quincy Carter‘s overall numbers aren’t that impressive, but he had some shining moments with Dallas, as his career was short yet eventful. He finished with a 3–4 record as a rookie, and those three victories were the most wins recorded by a Cowboys rookie QB in franchise history at the time. In 2003, he led the team to its first playoff appearance since 1999 when Dallas finished with a 10-6 record. Carter was also one of the team’s first legitimate dual threats at QB, making him more memorable.
8. Eddie LeBaron
- Years as a Cowboy: 1960-1963
- Titles & awards: 1 Pro Bowl selection with Cowboys (1962)
- Career regular season stats:
- 5-22-1 record
- 51.9 completion percentage
- 5,331 passing yards
- 45 TDs
- 53 INTs
- 170 rushing yards
- 1 rushing TD
- Iconic performance: September 30, 1962, vs. the Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. LeBaron’s 10 completions went for 241 yards and 2 TDs, including an 85-yard pass to fullback Amos Marsh.
Eddie LeBaron makes this list almost by default, as he was the first-ever starting quarterback for the Cowboys. Dallas wasn’t a great team when he was its QB, but his role in the organization’s history shouldn’t go unnoticed. LeBaron started 10 games in each of the Dallas’ first two seasons, serving as a mentor to Cowboys great Don Meredith — more on him later. LeBaron worked well with legendary head coach Don Landry and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with Washington prior to his stint with the Cowboys.
7. Danny White
- Years as a Cowboy: 1976-1988
- Titles & awards:
- 1 Super Bowl (1978)
- Second-team All-Pro (1982)
- Pro Bowl (1982)
- Career regular season stats:
- 62-30 record
- 59.7 completion percentage
- 21,959 yards
- 155 TDs
- 132 INTs
- 428 rushing yards
- 8 rushing TDs
- 2 receiving TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 5-5 record
- 57.2 completion percentage
- 2,284 passing yards
- 15 TDs
- 16 INTs
- Iconic performance: The 1980 NFC Divisional Round on January 4, 1981, on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys trailed 27-17 in the fourth quarter, and White led the offense on two late TD drives, resulting in a 30-27 victory.
Danny White began his 13-year career with the Cowboys serving as a punter, a role he continued to hold until 1985. It’s extremely rare for a quarterback to serve dual roles, and White did it with ease. Also known for his grace under pressure, the ex-Cowboys QB engineered 16 total comeback drives (14 regular season, two postseason). Additionally, he kept the Cowboys in the thick of the playoff hunt in the early 1980s, leading them to three consecutive NFC Championships (1980-1982). White jumped into the starting role immediately after team legend Roger Staubach, which couldn’t have been easy, yet he rose to the occasion year after year.
6. Craig Morton
- Years as a Cowboy: 1965-1973
- Titles & awards: 1 Super Bowl (1971)
- Career regular season stats:
- 32-14-1 record
- 52.4 completion percentage
- 10,279 passing yards
- 80 TDs
- 73 INTs
- 246 rushing yards
- 6 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 3-2 playoff record
- 40.1 completion percentage
- 630 passing yards
- 4 TDs
- 10 INTs
- 1 rushing TD
- Iconic performance: In the 1970 NFC Championship Game on January 3, 1971, Morton led the Cowboys to a 17-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, throwing 2 TD passes.
Craig Morton served as backup for Don Meredith for four years before taking over starting duties in 1969. He led the Cowboys to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance after the 1970s season. Dallas lost to the Colts, 16-13 in that game, but Morton was such a key part of the team’s earliest successes that he has to be included here. He was also part of the team that won the squad’s first Super Bowl trophy after the 1971 season when Dallas defeated the Miami Dolphins, 24–3. And check out this eye-popping stat: Morton led the NFL in yards per completion twice, averaging an unbelievable 17.8 yards per reception in 1970.
5. Don Meredith
- Years as a Cowboy: 1960-1968
- Titles & awards:
- Second-team All-Pro (1966)
- 3-time Pro Bowler (1966-1968)
- NFL Player of the Year (1966)
- Career regular season stats:
- 47-32-4 record
- 50.7 completion percentage
- 17,199 passing yards
- 135 TDs
- 111 INTs
- 1,216 rushing yards
- 15 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 1-3 record
- 50% completion percentage
- 551 passing yards
- 3 TDs
- 5 INTs
- Iconic performance: Meredith threw for a career-high 460 yards and 3 TDs on the road against the 49ers at Kezar Stadium on November 10, 1963.
“Dandy” Don Meredith was arguably the first great Cowboys quarterback. He led Dallas to its first winning season in franchise history in 1966, when the team finished 10-3-1. Meredith also led the Cowboys to back-to-back NFL Championships (in 1966 and 1967), ultimately losing both times to the Green Bay Packers. The 1967 championship — better known as the “Ice Bowl” — is widely recognized as one of the greatest games ever played in the NFL. His fun-loving and competitive nature made him a fan favorite, as did his contributions to the franchise.
4. Tony Romo
- Years as a Cowboy: 2003-2016
- Titles & awards:
- Second-team All-Pro (2014)
- 4-time Pro Bowler (2006, 2007, 2009, 2014)
- Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2002)
- Career regular season stats:
- 78-49-0 record
- 65.3 completion percentage
- 34,183 passing yards
- 248 TDs
- 117 INTs
- 620 rushing yards
- 5 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 2-4 record
- 61.6 completion percentage
- 1,316 yards
- 8 TDs
- 2 INTs
- Iconic performance: November 23, 2006, Thanksgiving Day vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went 22-29 for 306 yards and a career-high 5 TD passes in the Cowboys’ 38-10 win.
Another undrafted great at the QB position, Tony Romo didn’t play much over his first three seasons in Dallas, serving mostly as a holder for field goals and extra points. When it was all said and done, he finished his career as the team’s all-time passing yardage leader, also tossing more passing touchdowns (248) than anyone else to don a Cowboys uniform. Romo’s lack of postseason success largely defined his time in Dallas, but that’s a tad unfair. He generally played well in the playoffs, and he led 24 fourth-quarter comebacks. In 2012, Romo notched a career-high passer rating of 105.1 and threw for 4,903 yards, which led the league.
3. Dak Prescott
- Years as a Cowboy: 2016-present
- Titles & awards:
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2016)
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2022)
- Second-team All-Pro (2023)
- 3-time Pro Bowler (2016, 2018, 2023)
- Career regular season stats:
- 75-43-0 record
- 66.9 completion percentage
- 30,531 passing yards
- 208 TDs
- 76 INTs
- 1,905 rushing yards
- 29 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 2-5 record
- 64.5 completion percentage
- 1,962 passing yards
- 14 TDs
- 7 INTs
- Iconic performance: December 9, 2018, at home vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. In a game that went to overtime, Prescott threw for 455 yards and 3 TDs in the fourth quarter and OT combined, leading the Cowboys to a 29-23 win.
At 31, Dak Prescott still has time to further cement his legacy as a Cowboys QB. He has yet to win a Super Bowl, and his lack of success in the playoffs is well documented. He has led the team to six winning seasons and three NFC East titles over the last eight years. Currently ranked third on the Cowboys’ all-time passing yardage list, Prescott has a very real chance of claiming the top spot within the next few years. He’s also arguably the best rushing QB the Cowboys have ever had.
2. Troy Aikman
- Years as a Cowboy: 1989-2000
- Titles & awards:
- 3-time Super Bowl Champion
- 1993 Super Bowl MVP
- NFL Man of the Year (1997)
- 6-time Pro Bowler
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (2006)
- Career regular season stats:
- 94-71-0 record
- 61.5 completion percentage
- 32,942 yards
- 165 TDs
- 141 INTs
- 1,016 rushing yards
- 9 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 11-4 record
- 63.7 completion percentage
- 3,849 yards
- 23 TDs
- 17 INTs
- 1 rushing TD
- Iconic performance: Aikman went 22-30 for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns against an excellent Buffalo Bills defense in the 1993 Super Bowl.
Troy Aikman led 20 game-winning drives over his storied career, and he led the team to five winning seasons in a row, from 1992-1996. Aikman won more Super Bowls than any other QB in Cowboys history, and he’d be No. 1 on this list if he hadn’t played behind one of the all-time great offensive lines, known as “The Great Wall of Dallas,” which included the likes of Nate Newton and Hall of Famer Larry Allen. It’s the same line that helped running back Emmitt Smith break the NFL’s rushing record.
1. Roger Staubach
- Years as a Cowboy: 1969-1979
- Titles & awards:
- 2-time Super Bowl champion (1973, 1978)
- 1971 Super Bowl MVP
- Second-team All-Pro (1971)
- 6-time Pro Bowler
- NFL Man of the Year (1978)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (1985)
- Career regular season stats:
- 85-29-0 record
- 57.0 completion percentage
- 22,700 yards
- 153 TDs
- 109 INTs
- 2,264 rushing yards
- 20 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 11-6 record
- 223-410 for 2,791 yards
- 24 TDs and 19 INTs
- Iconic performance: Cowboys vs. 49ers, 1972 NFC Divisional Playoffs, Candlestick Park, San Francisco. Staubach went 12-20 for 174 yards and 2 TDs, leading Dallas to a victory after being down by 12 points with 2:00 remaining.
It doesn’t get much more legendary than the career of Roger Staubach, who joined the Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie in 1969. Eventually becoming the team’s starting QB in 1971, he led Dallas to four Super Bowls, winning two of them. The epitome of grace under pressure, Staubach engineered 24 fourth-quarter comebacks, earning the moniker “Captain Comeback.” His .718 winning percentage currently ranks sixth in NFL history among all QBs with at least 60 games played, per Stat Muse. Another fun fact? Staubach threw the NFL’s first-ever “Hail Mary” pass to WR Drew Pearson to win the 1972 divisional round against the 49ers.
