The Herschel Walker trade paid off big in 1991 and continued to do so for several years to come.
With the assets gained from that transaction, along with a few additional moves, Dallas had 18 picks over the seven rounds of the 1991 NFL Draft.
In the first round they picked Russell Maryland with the No. 1 pick, followed by Alvin Harper with the 12th pick.
Dallas selected defensive tackle Kelvin Pritchett at No. 20 and immediately traded him to Detroit for three picks in the 1991 draft.
Those picks became Dixon Edwards (2nd round), James Richards (3rd), and Tony Hill (4th). In addition to Edwards, the Cowboys selected Godfrey Myles in the second round.
Dallas grabbed Erik Williams in third as well. They would also net Leon Lett (7th round) and a cornerback out of TCU with their final pick in the seventh round at #320 in the draft.
Larry Brown would go on to be a Super Bowl MVP for the Cowboys last Super Bowl victory.
Dallas also made a change on offense in the coaching box. David Shula was out and Norv Turner was the new offensive coordinator for the Cowboys.
That move would also play a huge role in the Cowboys success in the 1990s.
A Rocky Start
The Cowboys got off to a good start with a 26-14 win over the Browns in Cleveland.
Troy Aikman had 274 yards and two touchdowns, Michael Irvin caught nine passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Emmitt Smith added 112 rushing yards.
Dallas let an early 21-10 lead over the Redskins slip away and fell 33-31 despite another solid performance by the Triplets.
While Buddy Ryan was gone, the Eagles were still a roadblock. Three Aikman interceptions derailed the offense as the Eagles beat Dallas 24-0 at Texas Stadium.
Righting The Ship
The Cowboys rebounded by winning four in a row and five out of their next six games overall.
The streak started with a 17-9 win at Phoenix, a 21-16 win at home over the Giants, a 20-17 win at Green Bay, and a 35-23 win at home over the Bengals.
After a bye week, the Cowboys had four turnovers and fell 34-10 to the Lions, despite holding Barry Sanders to just 55 rushing yards.
Smith scored three touchdowns the next week at home in a 27-7 win over the Cardinals. But a frustrating 26-23 overtime loss to the Oilers and a 22-9 loss at the Giants dropped Dallas to 6-5.
Playoff Drought Ends
The Cowboys rebounded with five straight wins to close out the regular season. Wins over the Redskins (24-21), Steelers (20-10), and Saints (23-14) secured Dallas’ first winning season since 1985.
The victory over the Redskins proved costly as Aikman would be knocked out of the game and would not play for the rest of the regular season. The Cowboys’ fate would rest on Steve Beuerlein’s shoulders.
Down 10-5 at halftime in Philadelphia, the Cowboys exorcised a few demons by rallying for a 25-13 win over the Eagles. An 85-yard punt return by Kelvin Martin put Dallas in the lead for good.
After five straight years of missing the playoffs, Dallas punched their post-season ticket with a 31-27 win at home over the Falcons.
Smith would carry the team with 160 yards and three touchdowns. Irvin would catch 10 passes for 169 yards and a score.
Back In The Playoffs
The Cowboys traveled to Chicago for the wild card game and played mistake-free football. The Bears would commit three turnovers on offense, allowing Dallas to leave with a 17-13 victory.
It was Dallas’ first playoff win since the 1982 Divisional round win over Green Bay, snapping a three-game postseason losing streak.
Beuerlein would start the Divisional round game at Detroit the next week and had a terrible game.
Going 7-for-13 with 91 yards and an interception, he was replaced by Aikman, who fared little better. Aikman did go 11-for-16 for 114 yards but was also intercepted once.
While Dallas’ quarterbacks struggled, Erik Kramer looked like Joe Montana, throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-6 rout of the Cowboys.
The season ended in Detroit, but at least Dallas was back to winning football and playing postseason games.
