The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a bit of a weird spot heading into the 2025 campaign. After an offseason full of optimism after some big moves, the wind has been taken out of the team’s sails ahead of their Week 1 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles after they traded superstar linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Losing Parsons will make winning all the more difficult for the Cowboys this upcoming season. Things haven’t gotten any easier for them, too, as the team received more bad news on Saturday, as it was announced that one of their franchise legends, linebacker Lee Roy Jordan, died at the age of 84.
Cowboys Legend Lee Roy Jordan Dies at 84
After a standout collegiate career with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Jordan was selected by the Cowboys with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft. Jordan enjoyed a strong start to his career before having his role sliced in half in 1965. Once he found his way back into the starting lineup, though, he turned himself into a machine.
Jordan rattled off three straight Pro Bowl campaigns from 1967 to 1969, as he wreaked havoc at the center of Dallas’ defense. He helped lead the Cowboys to their first championship in Super Bowl VI when they picked up a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins, before earning another pair of Pro Bowl selections in 1973 and 1974.
After the 1976 season, Jordan called it a career, with his 1,236 career tackles being the second most in the team’s history. When Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989, Jordan was the first player inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. On Saturday, Dallas announced that Jordan died at the age of 84, with no cause of death being given.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we share the passing of Lee Roy Jordan,” the Cowboys said as part of their announcement on X. “An inspirational leader of the Cowboys first championships teams, Jordan was at the core of the Dallas Cowboys’ ‘Doomsday Defense,’ anchoring the middle linebacker spot for 14 years.”
Cowboys Looking to Honor Lee Roy Jordan by Winning in 2025
Sam Hodde/GettyARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 22: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on prior to the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium on August 22, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Jordan won quite a bit during his football career, whether it was with Alabama or Dallas. The Cowboys haven’t experienced much success since the turn of the century, and while the aforementioned loss of Parsons hurts, they still have a considerable amount of talent at their disposal, which could help them make a run in the NFC, even though it’s loaded with Super Bowl contenders.
Dallas will understandably mourn the passing of Jordan, but it will have to quickly turn its attention to the 2025 season, as it will open the new campaign against the Eagles on Thursday night. Considering how Philly is fresh off a dominant victory in Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs, this will be a great measuring stick opportunity for the Cowboys right out of the gate.
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