As we prepare to turn back the clocks this weekend for daylight savings, let’s also rewind a bit of football history and revisit three Cardinals who easily could’ve, and maybe should’ve, worn the Star.
Roy Green — “The Jet Stream”
One of the forgotten stars of the 1980s, Roy Green was every bit as electrifying as Miami’s Mark Clayton in Marino’s attack. Yet Green slid all the way to No. 89 in the fourth round of the 1979 draft. No disrespect to Tony Hill, but imagine Green lining up opposite Drew Pearson in those early-’80s Cowboys offenses. The Jet Stream in Silver and Blue would’ve been something to see.
Aeneas Williams — The One That Got Away
The 1991 draft is remembered as one of Jimmy Johnson’s best, adding core pieces like Russell Maryland, Alvin Harper, and Dixon Edwards. But amid all the wheeling and dealing, the Cowboys missed on a future Hall of Famer. Aeneas Williams fell to pick No. 59, and instead of moving up three spots to grab him, Dallas took linebacker Godfrey Myles. The Aeneas-Michael Irvin battles became NFC East legend twice a year, but imagine if they’d sharpened each other daily in practice.
David Johnson — The Forgotten Force
A decade ago, few running backs were more complete than David Johnson. Drafted 86th overall in 2015, he began as a fourth-stringer buried on Arizona’s depth chart. Even on draft day, six backs went ahead of him. But by season’s end, Johnson had seized the job, powering the Cardinals to the NFC Championship Game. The next year, he topped 100 yards in 15 straight games. It’s a run of dominance that coincided with Dallas finally finding its own workhorse in rookie Ezekiel Elliott.
Sometimes turning back the clock reminds us how differently history might have looked especially if a few more Cardinals had flown south to Texas.
