One of the many changes Brian Schottenheimer brought to the Cowboys that may have gone largely unnoticed is the re-introduction of permanent team captains.
Under Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys had a rotating system that allowed dozens of players to serve as captain at least once. In some cases, players that were on the practice squad a week earlier were elevated to captains. McCarthy defended it as a way to promote leadership across the roster, but that approach never quite sat right with the fans.
But
since last year, the Cowboys are back to a system that features six team captains (two per team unit and each with a permanent “C” patch on their uniforms) and one captain rotating on a weekly basis based on performance in practice and meetings throughout the week.
body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th { padding: 4px 6px !important; }| 2020 – 2024 | 2025 | |
| Team Unit | Team Captains | Team Captains |
| Offense | Rotating system that allowed dozens of players to serve as captain at least once. In some cases, even practice squad call-ups wore the title. |
Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb |
| Defense | Osa Odighizuwa, Donovan Wilson | |
| Special Teams | Brandon Aubrey, CJ Goodwin |
NFL teams traditionally announce their team captains on or very close to opening weekend. This is usually something that is done without much fanfare, and in past years where the Cowboys had permanent captains, the names were usually chosen from among the team’s most visible players.
But this year could be different, as three of last year’s captains, Osa Odighizuwa, Donovan Wilson, and C.J. Goodwin are no longer with the team and have created vacancies.
- There are a lot of new players on defense. Players like Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, or Jalen Thompson may not have held the title in Dallas last year, but are significant locker room presences. Kenny Clark was a three-time captain in Green Bay, as was Williams with the Jets. Gary was a captain in Green Bay last year, and Thompson has one star on his “C” patch as well.
- There were no significant personnel changes on offense, but Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker are increasingly emerging as leaders on the offensive line.
- And Brian Schottenheimer will also have some ideas about who he wants to see in that leadership role. In a recent press conference, he mentioned the following names (among many others) as young players who stood out in a leadership role in OTAs and minicamp: Donovan Ezeiruaku, DeMarvion Overhown, Shemar James, and Caleb Downs.
Former safety Darren Woodson, three-time Super Bowl winner and a member of the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor, recently spoke on the Doin’ Alright podcast about what made the Cowboys successful in the 90s.
“You want to win football games, you get them boys up front lined up. They’re big boys, they’ve got some pride in that front seven. That’s when you start to connect.”
“We were at our best – as Super Bowl champions – not because of the skill guys, but because our offensive line was the best in the league and our defensive line, we had a seven-man rotation, and they didn’t drop, and they had so much pride in what they were doing. That’s what was connected.”
“And they ran the locker room. Don’t let your DBs and wide receivers run the locker room! Your defensive backs and wide receivers run the locker room? You’ve got a problem.”
“When your offensive and defensive line are telling everybody ‘Shut up! Get your ass in line.’ ”
“That’s when you’ve got something.“
Who would you like to see step up as team captain this year?
