Part of the Greatest Players by Number Series

Jersey #18

Seven players have worn #18, including four quarterbacks, a punter, a kicker, and a receiver.

Chris Boniol, K, Louisiana Tech, 1994-96

Statistics: In three seasons with Dallas, Boniol made 87.1% of his field goal attempts, best in team history. In 1995, he made 27 of 28 attempt (96.4%), also a team record.

Accolades: He was an All Pro in 1996.

Longevity: Boniol played three seasons in Dallas but was a victim of the Cowboys’ policy of not paying kickers or punters. He left to play for the Eagles.

Intangibles: Boniol was underappreciated during his relatively short stay in Dallas, even though he was one of the most dependable kickers in team history. He never performed at the same level with Philadelphia or Chicago.

Glenn Carano, QB, UNLV, 1977-83

Statistics: Playing sparingly as a third-stringer for most of his seven seasons in Dallas, Carano threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns during his career.

Accolades: None.

Longevity: A second-round pick in 1977, Carano lasted seven years.

Intangibles: Carano started one game during his career, a 37-13 win over the Baltimore Colts in 1981. Carano was later supplanted by Gary Hogeboom as the second-stringer.

Terrance Copper, WR, East Carolina, 2004-05

Statistics: Copper caught eight passes for 89 yards and one touchdown with the Cowboys.

Accolades: None.

Longevity: Copper played two seasons with Dallas before being released prior to the 2006 season. New Orleans signed him, and he has since been a solid contributor with the Saints since then.

Intangibles: Copper did not have many opportunities in Dallas and thus did perform at the level he has with the Saints.

Bernie Kosar, QB, Miami (Fla.), 1993

Statistics: In 1993, Kosar threw for 410 yards with three touchdowns. He also came on in relief of Troy Aikman in the NFC Championship Game that season.

Accolades: None with Dallas.

Longevity: Dallas signed Kosar midway through the 1993 season after the Browns had released the veteran quarterback. He saw action in four regular season games that year.

Intangibles: Kosar rather amazingly started a game a week after Dallas signed him. He was not asked to do much that season, but his performance were rather memorable. This is especially true of his play in the NFC title game.

Billy Lothridge, P, Georgia Tech, 1964

Statistics: Lothridge averaged 40.3 yards per punt in 1964.

Accolades: None with Dallas.

Longevity: Lothridge lasted just one year in Dallas. He spent several seasons with Atlanta and also played for Los Angeles and Miami.

Intangibles: Lothridge was a solid punter with the Falcons, but he did little with the Cowboys.

Loren Snyder, QB, Northern Colorado, 1987

Statistics: In two appearances as a replacement player in 1987, Snyder threw for 44 yards.

Accolades: None.

Longevity: Snyder was Kevin Sweeney’s backup during the 1987 replacement games. He never otherwise played in the NFL.

Intangibles: He was a replacement player from Northern Colorado. Enough said.

Cliff Stoudt, QB, Youngstown St., 1990-91

Statistics: Stoudt never played while he was on the Cowboys’ roster.

Accolades: None with Dallas.

Longevity: Stoudt was the third-string quarterback in 1990 and 1991. This came at the end of a fairly long career.

Intangibles:Stoudt was at one time the starter in Pittsburgh. He jumped to the USFL before returning to the NFL to play for the Cardinals. By the time he played for Dallas, he did not have much left.

Poll

Here are the results of the poll for this number:

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If you still want to vote, please make a comment below.

My Vote: Boniol

None of the players on this list were long-time contributors for the Cowboys, but Boniol was the best player of the group. He was nearly automatic in each of the three seasons he was here. Dallas was fortunate to find several quality free agent kickers and punters during the 1990 but were unwilling to pay to keep them. Boniol was the most talented of this group of specialists.

As for the others, Kosar deserves credit for his role during the 1993 season, but he was with the team for such a brief time that he did not have an opportunity to accomplish very much.