Before any talk of biting people's kneecaps off, current Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell spent a decade as a tight end in the NFL.
As you can guess by his size, Campbell was more of a blocking tight end than a receiver. In a decade in the league, Campbell caught 91 passes for 934 yards, numbers that Travis Kelce topped in the 2020 season alone. Still, you don't stick around in the NFL for that length of time if you don't bring value to an organization.
A trio of Campbell's 10 years in the NFL were spent with the Dallas Cowboys, as he played for the team from 2003-2005, following a four-year stint with the New York Giants. During his time with the Cowboys, Campbell crossed paths with the late-Tony Sparano, a period in which he was working on Bill Parcells' staff in a variety of roles. It was Sparano who would eventually hire Campbell as a coaching intern in 2010, when he was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
So while Campbell may not have been an especially notable player, his three seasons in Dallas proved to be crucial not only to his career, but the coaching landscape of the NFL.
Meanwhile, these five players also spent time with the Cowboys, stints that weren't quite as impactful:
Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham spent a season with the Cowboys.(Harry How /Allsport)Many remember Cunningham as an electric dual-threat quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles in the early 1990s that was paired with Buddy Ryan's all-time great defense. Others remember Cunningham coming out of retirement to play with the Minnesota Vikings in the late 1990s, even being named an All-Pro in 1998. Almost no one remembers the four-time Pro Bowler as a Dallas Cowboy, though he did back up Troy Aikman in 2000. In what proved to be the final season of Aikman's Hall of Fame career, Cunningham got the chance to step in as the starter for Dave Campo's squad three times. The Cowboys went 1-2 in the games started by Cunningham, as he threw six touchdowns to four interceptions. Cunningham had perhaps an even more forgettable stint in Baltimore the following season to wrap up his otherwise impressive run in the NFL.
Scott Fujita
Scott Fujita had a brief stint with the Cowboys.(Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)Before he helped the New Orleans Saints win a Super Bowl - and also got firmly entrenched in the Bountygate scandal - Fujita spent a year with the Cowboys. The former fifth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs was traded to the Cowboys ahead of the final year of his rookie deal. 2005 proved to be the only season Fujita spent in Dallas, as he racked up 54 combined tackles and two sacks. Ultimately, Fujita reached a free-agent contract with the Saints ahead of the 2006 season.
Marcellus Wiley
Marcellus Wiley (right) spent a season in Dallas.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Though he's probably most well known for his media career, Wiley racked up 44 sacks in a 10-year NFL career. Between the 2000 and 2001 seasons, which he split with the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers, Wiley registered 23 1/2 total sacks. In March of 2004, Wiley inked a four-year/$16 million deal with the Cowboys. Unfortunately for both sides involved, Wiley was entering his age-30 season and had already passed his peak. In 2004, which turned out to be his lone season in Dallas, Wiley had just three sacks. The Cowboys released Wiley in February of 2005. He would spend the final two years of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but never recorded a sack with the team.
Peerless Price
Peerless Price spent part of a season with the Cowboys.(Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)Price finished one spot above a 40-year-old Jerry Rice in receiving yards in 2002, totaling 1,252 yards, eighth in the NFL that season, as a member of the Buffalo Bills. Price parlayed the best season of his career into a seven-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. However, Price had just 1,413 receiving yards in two seasons in Atlanta, leading to his release. Price attempted to revive his career in Dallas in 2005, but on a team with Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Patrick Crayton and Jason Witten, things never clicked for him with the team. Price had just 96 total receiving yards as a Cowboy when Bill Parcells and company parted ways with him late in the 2005 campaign.
Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez spent a year with the Cowboys.(Rich Schultz/Getty Images)After two seasons with the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles, Mark Sanchez was traded to the Denver Broncos in March of 2016. However, he didn't make the team's roster that year, which created an opportunity for the Cowboys to sign Sanchez after his release in Denver. For much of the season Sanchez was Dak Prescott's backup, but considering the Cowboys were a 13-3 team in 2016, that didn't leave a ton of room for the backup quarterback to play meaningful snaps. The bulk of Sanchez's action as a Cowboys came in Week 17 against the Eagles, after both Prescott and Tony Romo had exited the game. In total, Sanchez completed 10 of 18 passes as a Cowboys, but also was picked off twice.
Other Entries in This Series
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Chicago Bears
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Detroit Lions
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Cleveland Browns
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Philadelphia Eagles
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The New York Giants
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The New York Jets
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Atlanta Falcons
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The New Orleans Saints
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