Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots players: who played for both

Who played for both the Cowboys and Patriots?

70 players were on both the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots rosters between 1960 and 2026, including Vinny Testaverde, Nick Folk, Joey Galloway and Mike Nugent. 41 of them were with the Cowboys first and 21 with the Patriots first; 8 joined both in the same season.

Did you know?

  • Dick Klein is the earliest on this list to complete the pair: Cowboys first, then the Patriots from 1961.
  • Ameer Speed is the most recent: Patriots first, then the Cowboys from 2026.
  • Drew Bledsoe spent the most seasons across the two: 2 with the Cowboys and 9 with the Patriots.
  • 4 of them had two or more separate spells with one of the teams, such as Ezekiel Elliott.
  • Most common positions on this list: QB (9), RB (8), LB (8), OL (8).

How many can you name?

Name players who were on both the Cowboys and the Patriots. The surname is enough. 0 / 70

All 70 players, most seasons first

Seasons on each roster (1960–2026). A gap of a season or more starts a new spell.
PlayerPosCowboysPatriots
Vinny TestaverdeQB20042006
Nick FolkK2007–20082019–2022
Joey GallowayWR2000–20032009
Mike NugentK20172019
Drew BledsoeQB2005–20061993–2001
Matt CasselQB20152005–2008
Brandin CooksWR2023–20242017
Brian WatersG20132011
Stephon GilmoreDB20232017–2021
Reggie RuckerWR1970–19711971–1974
Sammy MorrisRB20112007–2010
Steve DeOssieLB1984–19881994–1995
Terry GlennWR2003–20071996–2001
Cameron FlemingOL2018–20192014–2017
Michael BennettDE20192019
Mike SaxonSPEC1985–19921993
Carl DavisDL20232020–2022
Dekoda WatsonOLB20142015
Mark WashingtonDB1970–19781979
Martellus BennettTE2008–20112016–2017
Eugene LockhartLB1984–19901991–1992
Ezekiel ElliottRB2016–2022, 20242023
Hugh MillenQB19931991–1992
Kai ForbathK20192019
Scott ChandlerTE20102015–2016
Terrell McClainDT2014–20162012
David HowardLB1989–19901991–1992
Lousaka PoliteFB2004–20062011
Nathan JonesCB2004–20072011
Steve KinerLB19701971, 1973
Bobby AbramsLB1992–19931995–1996
Corey BallentineDB20252025
Fred WhittinghamLB19691970
Halvor HagenDL1969–19701971–1972
Sterling MooreCB2012–20142011–2012
Tom HodsonQB19941990–1992
Blair ThomasRB19941994
Bob PerrymanRB19901987–1990
Caleb BenenochOL20192019–2020
Darius HarrisLB20242025
Eric BjornsonTE1995–19992000
Frank KearseDE20132016
Garrett GilbertQB20202022
Jonathan CooperOL2016–20172016
Marcus MartinOL20182020
Nick LeverettOL2025–20262024
Scott SeculesQB19881993
Trysten HillDL2019–20222023–2024
Will GrierQB2021–2022, 20242023
Chris AkinsFS1999–20002003
Dick KleinOL19601961–1962
Landon CohenDT20132010
Phil ClarkDB1967–19691971
Ron SellersWR19721969–1971
Ross TuckerC20022005
Zach MooreDE20162014
Ameer SpeedDB20262023
Bob WhiteOL1987–19891990
Claxton WelchRB1969–19711973
George PeoplesRB19821983
Isaiah StanbackWR2007–20082009
Rodrigo BarnesLB1973–19741974–1975
Casey WalkerDT20152014
Chuck McSwainRB1983–19841987
Trey WilliamsRB2015, 20172015
Chris FontenotTE20002000
Greg SchaumDL19761978
Joe Milton IIIQB20252024
Terry BillupsDB19981999
Todd JonesOL19921993

From the nflverse roster files (CC BY 4.0), refreshed 2026-10-06. A season counts when the player was on the roster: from 2002 on, at least one regular-season or playoff week as active, injured reserve or inactive (practice squad alone does not count); 1960–2001 use the season rosters.Patriots seasons include the Boston Patriots (1960–70).

What next? Play today's NFL Grid

Fill a 3×3 board of team pairs like this one, with nine guesses and a rarity score. New board every day.

Play the NFL GridCareer path gameCowboys player gamePatriots player game

More “played for both” lists

Dallas Cowboys and…

Browns 107Dolphins 93Saints 93Bears 89Cardinals 8649ers 83Commanders 81Raiders 79Titans 78Colts 77

New England Patriots and…

Dolphins 133Jets 120Browns 116Raiders 109Giants 105Broncos 103Bills 102Eagles 98Colts 93Lions 90

All team pairs

Questions

How many players have played for both the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots?

70 in the nflverse roster files from 1960 to 2026, including Vinny Testaverde, Nick Folk, Joey Galloway and Mike Nugent. Players whose time with one of the teams was practice squad only, or before 1960, are not counted.

Who was the first player on this list to play for both?

Dick Klein: Dallas Cowboys first, then the New England Patriots from 1961.

Who has played for both recently?

Corey Ballentine, Darius Harris, Nick Leverett, Ameer Speed and Joe Milton III, with a season on one of the two rosters in 2025 or 2026.

Does a player count if the team has moved or changed its name?

Yes. Seasons count for today's franchise, the way the league keeps team history. Patriots seasons include the Boston Patriots (1960–70).

Rosters from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). Team logos are trademarks of their respective teams (logos via TheSportsDB). Independent and not affiliated with the NFL or any team. Credits