Cowboys in Canton: Who's Next For The Hall of Fame?

Neither is a slam dunk, but DeMarcus Ware and Tony Romo are first-time eligible next year

Now comes the hard part.

The next Dallas Cowboy inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame will likely be the first to do so without winning a Super Bowl with the team.

With the weekend induction of Drew Pearson, Cliff Harris and Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys have 20 representatives in Canton. All won at least one Super Bowl ring with Dallas, either as a player, coach, general manager or owner.

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But, in case you haven't noticed, the Cowboys haven't won a championship in 25 years. Though there are old-timers - running back Don Perkins, linebacker Chuck Howley and defensive end Harvey Martin (and is Darren Woodson already an old-timer?) - still deserving of a hindsight entry afforded Harris and Pearson, the Cowboys-to-Canton fast track is getting trickier.

Two Cowboys will be first-time eligible for immortality in 2022, but neither is a slam dunk: Defensive end DeMarcus Ware and quarterback Tony Romo. Neither played in a NFC Championship Game in Dallas, much less won a Super Bowl.

The good news: Unlike 2021 when Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson were no-brainers, the NFL's Class of 2022 is up for grabs. The group (which must be retired five years) is headed by defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and receivers Steve Smith, Anquan Boldin and Andre Johnson.

As one of the NFL's most feared and productive pass-rushers of his era, Ware has the best chance to be the next Cowboy in Canton.

During his nine-year career in Dallas from 2005-13 he led the NFL in sacks twice, made eight Pro Bowls, was named All-Pro four times and was voted to the league's All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He spent his final three seasons with the Denver Broncos, where in 2015 he went to the Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl.

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Ware's 138.5 career sacks have him in the all-time Top 10 and are more than Jared Allen, who was a first-year Hall-of-Fame finalist in 2021.

Romo - who will almost assuredly go into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor some day - is a considerably longer shot than his former teammate.

Despite more than 34,000 career passing yards and sparkling 97.1 passer rating, the fact that he only won two playoff games and never flirted with a Super Bowl will likely be Romo's permanent road block.