{"id":406374,"date":"2026-08-14T11:04:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/406374\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T11:04:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:04:29","slug":"best-dallas-cowboys-player-to-wear-no-38-had-a-solid-career-after-going-undrafted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/406374\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 38 had a solid career after going undrafted"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to our series covering the greatest Dallas Cowboys players<\/a> to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99. <\/p>\n

As we inch toward the end of the 30s, this group at No. 38 certainly isn’t the sexiest that we’ve had, nor is it a lengthy one, but we’ve still got a job to do, so let’s go ahead and have a look for everyone who’s donned the digit for America’s Team over the years.<\/p>\n

Sam Baker, K\/PLuq Barcoo, DBAlijah Clark, DBRon Francis, DBChris Hall, DBDuane Hawthorne, DBJeff Heath, SDavid Lang, RBIsrael Mukuamu, SLynn Scott, DBJohn Williams, RBRoy Williams, S<\/p>\n

The most high-profile player on this list is safety Roy Williams, but as the five-time Pro Bowler wore No. 31 for six of his seven seasons in Dallas, only switching to No. 38 in his last year with the team in 2008, we took him out of the running. <\/p>\n

Besides, he only played three games during that ’08 campaign anyway, as he broke his forearm in Week 2, sat out for a month, and then broke it again in his first game back, costing hiim the rest of the season. <\/p>\n

Our selection here is a safety, though, but he’s nowhere near as high-profile as Williams. Nevertheless, Jeff Heath still deserves his flowers, as he turned a great run at a Division II school into a solid nine-year NFL career.<\/p>\n

Jeff Heath played seven solid seasons for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010s<\/p>\n

A Second-Team All-GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) at Saginaw Valley State in 2012, Heath didn’t earn an invitation to the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine, but after he performed well at the conference’s pro day, some believed he might go in the seventh round of the draft. <\/p>\n

That ultimately didn’t happen, but soon after the draft, he signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent and worked his way onto the 53-man roster after an impressive training camp. And not only did he make the active roster, but he also ended up taking 52 percent of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps as a rookie, as well as 67 percent of the snaps on special teams. <\/p>\n

Admittedly, he struggled at safety at times, which knocked his playing time down over the next few years, but he continued to thrive on special teams. <\/p>\n

Heath continued to work, and in 2017, he earned the starting spot at strong safety and had the best overall campaign of his career, recording 85 total tackles, good for the fifth-most on the team<\/a>two forced fumbles, tying him for the second-most on the squad, five passes defended, tying for the fifth-most on the team, and a team-high three interceptions. <\/p>\n

He followed up in 2018 with a career-high 85 total tackles, good for the third-most on the team, a career-best six of which resulted in a loss, and also added another interception. While he failed to pick off a pass in 2019, he did tally a career-high seven passes defended, the third-most among all Dallas defenders. <\/p>\n

That turned out to be Heath’s final season with the Cowboys, as he spent one season with the Las Vegas Raiders and one year with the New Orleans Saints before calling it a career. <\/p>\n

In seven seasons with the Cowboys, Heath tallied 346 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one sack, five forced fumbles, 24 passes defended, and eight interceptions. Not bad for a Division II guy who went undrafted, wouldn’t you say?<\/p>\n

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees<\/p>\n

This list will be updated daily until all 100 entries are complete, so please be sure to check back in with The Landry Hat for updates.<\/p>\n

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