Two of the biggest names on the defensive side of the football for the Dallas Cowboys are one step closer to Canton.
DeMarcus Ware and Darren Woodson are two of the 28 modern-day semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, announced early this week.
This isn’t the first time flirting with the chance to make the hall for either, though.
The all-time sack leader for the Dallas Cowboys is once again a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He should have been a first ballot last year but was left off.
Ware finished with 117 sacks, the most in franchise history.
He would spend three seasons with the Denver Broncos (2014-2016), where he registered 21.5 more and helped their franchise win Super Bowl 50.
Ware finished his career with seven All-Pro selections (four first-team), nine Pro Bowls honors, and a two-time sack leader (2008, 2010).
He won the Butkus Award twice (2008, 2011), and a spot on the NFL 2000s All-Decade team.
Ware amassed 35 forced fumbles, 171 tackles for loss, 229 quarterback hits, and 25 passes defended for his career.
The 28 Modern-Era Player Semifinalists for the @ProFootballHOF Class of 2023. #PFHOF23 pic.twitter.com/iLbIRdbxak
— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2022
Woodson, on the other hand, has been a semifinals six times, but has never advanced further than that.
Woodson retired following the 2003 season as the Cowboy’s all-time leading tackler (1,350 career stops).
He was a five-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro, and a three-time Super Bowl champion.
Woodson is the 21st member of the Cowboys Ring of Honor. He was inducted in 2015.
The 28 semifinalists will be reduced to 15 finalists before the final voting process in January.
The inductees will be announced on Feb. 9 during NFL Honors.
Those prime-time awards reveal the 2022 NFL season, including Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year.
Woodson has been in this position many more times than Ware has, but two of the biggest names to ever play for the Cowboy’s defense will once again get their chance to see themselves in Canton.
Let’s hope the next post about these two for Inside the Star is about them getting inducted into the Hall.
