Much of the conversation regarding who will be the next player added to the Cowboys’ exclusive Ring of Honor has focused on retired players Tony Romo, Jason Witten and DeMarcus Lawrence.
But a source said the Cowboys are considering making former scouting director Gil Brandt the 22nd member of the exclusive club.
Brandt was the club’s scouting director from 1960-1989, and he’s been like an informal ambassador for the Cowboys since then.
If Brandt gets into the Ring of Honor, it would mean the original power triumvirate of general manager Tex Schramm, Brandt and coach Tom Landry would all be in the Ring of Honor.
Brandt found the players, Schramm signed the players and Landry coached them.
Another name that will receive consideration is tight end Jay Novacek, who caught 339 passes for 3,576 yards and 22 touchdowns in five seasons with the Cowboys.
The Triplets received much of the attention, but Novacek’s third-down prowess is what helped Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin succeed.
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Novacek, who signed as a Plan B free agent in 1990, averaged 56 catches for 596 and four touchdowns in four seasons with the Cowboys.
But he was a favorite target of Aikman, and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders said Novacek was the one player the Cowboys had that the 1994 San Francisco 49ers couldn’t match up with because of his combination of speed and size.
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Novacek, 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighing about 235 pounds, was faster and more athletic than most linebackers and too big for the majority of safeties. The 49ers wound up putting safety Merton Hanks on him because there was no way a linebacker could cover him.
The source said Jimmy Johnson, who led the Cowboys to Super Bowl wins in 1992 and 1993, is also receiving strong consideration for the Ring of Honor.
Johnson and Jones have had an acrimonious relationship, at times, during the 24 years since he left the Cowboys. The relationship, however, has been more amiable over the past few years to the point Jones is considering the former coach for the Ring of Honor.
The source said the Cowboys would like to make sure they add all of the players and coaches worthy of being in the Ring of Honor from the 1990s before they move on to players such as Witten, Romo and Ware.
