This upcoming game against Cincinnati feels like a rarity for the Cowboys. After all, they've only faced the Bengals 14 times overall in their history, have played them at home on just eight occasions and have never met them on a Monday night.
So here we go. The Cowboys own a 10-4 record against Cincinnati and are riding a current five-game winning streak that dates back to 2008. They are also 7-1 on their home field in the series.
For Mike Zimmer, this will be a reunion of sorts. Back with the Cowboys this season, the team's current defensive coordinator was also on the coaching staff from 1994-2006. However, in between his time in Dallas, he had a six-year stint in Cincinnati as the Bengals' defensive coordinator before then taking the head coaching job with Minnesota.
But Zimmer is not alone as far as those in Cowboys history who have a connection with the Bengals. Here's a top-10 list of familiar names who suited up for both clubs.
Here's a top-10 list of familiar names who suited up for both the Cowboys & Bengals.
Adam "Pacman" Jones • Cornerback • Cowboys (2008) • Bengals (2010-17)
Jones had three tumultuous years with the Titans, the last of which saw him suspended for the entire season. The Cowboys took a chance on him, acquiring him in a 2008 trade, but unfortunately the move backfired as a four-game suspension and neck injury limited him to nine games. Dallas released him, and after a one-year stint in the Canadian Football League, Jones finally found a home in Cincinnati, enjoying nine seasons with the Bengals that included an All-Pro nod in 2014 and a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2015.
La'el Collins • Offensive Tackle • Cowboys (2015-21) • Bengals (2022)
Unexpectedly signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys in 2015, Collins earned the starting left guard job by the end of his rookie season. Moved to right tackle two years later, he seemed on the verge of Pro Bowl status, but was then forced to miss all of 2020 due to injuries. Never quite the same after that, Collins played the 2022 season with the Bengals before another injury basically ended his career.
Jon Kitna • Quarterback • Bengals (2001-05) • Cowboys (2010-11)
After beginning his career with the Seahawks, Kitna was signed as a free agent by the Bengals in 2001. He would go on to serve as Cincinnati's starter over the next three seasons before taking on the role of mentor for young quarterback Carson Palmer. Kitna headed to Detroit in 2006 and eventually joined the Cowboys in 2010, a season that saw him start nine games after Tony Romo was injured. He spent one more year in Dallas as a backup before becoming a high school coach.
Carl Lawson • Defensive End • Bengals (2017-20) • Cowboys (2024)
Heading into Monday night's game, Lawson ranks third on the Cowboys this season in sacks (4), pressures (13) and quarterback hits (7), which of course is nothing new to the Bengals. In his rookie campaign of 2017, he racked up 8.5 sacks for Cincinnati and totaled 20 overall in his four years with the team. Signed by the Jets in 2021, he promptly missed the season due to injury but bounced back with seven sacks in 2022. After one more year in the Big Apple, he was added to the Cowboys ranks this past August.
Chidobe Awuzie • Cornerback • Cowboys (2017-20) • Bengals (2021-23)
A second-round pick, Awuzie was slowed by a hamstring injury in his rookie season of 2017, but found his footing with the Cowboys in his sophomore campaign, finishing fourth on the team in tackles. After being limited to only eight games in 2020, he then headed to Cincinnati for a three-year stint with the Bengals, where he helped the team reach Super Bowl LVI and even recorded an interception in the title tilt. Awuzie is currently on injured reserve with the Titans.
Ray Horton • Defensive Back • Bengals (1983-88) • Cowboys (1989-92)
Horton began his career as a cornerback, was moved to nickel back and eventually finished as a safety. A second-round selection in 1983, he hit the scene in Cincinnati with five interceptions in his first year, a rookie record for the franchise. After six seasons with the Bengals, Horton then signed with new head coach Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys as a Plan B free agent. He played four more years in Dallas, winning a Super Bowl ring in 1992, before entering the coaching ranks.
Terrell Owens • Wide Receiver • Cowboys (2006-08) • Bengals (2010)
Owens played for the Bengals? Sure enough. A Pro Bowler with the 49ers, Eagles and Cowboys, the mercurial wide receiver wrapped up his Hall of Famer career with one-year stops in Buffalo and then finally Cincinnati. There he led the Bengals with 983 receiving yards and nine touchdowns – which is also what he did in Dallas, topping 1,000 yards and posting double-digit scores in each of his three seasons with the team.
Andy Dalton • Quarterback • Bengals (2011-19) • Cowboys (2020)
Dalton became an immediate starter for the Bengals in his rookie season and earned the first of his three career Pro Bowl recognitions. By the time the Red Rifle left Cincinnati nine years later, he ranked first in franchise history for career touchdown throws (204) and second in passing yards (31,594). Having starred at nearby TCU in college, Dalton returned to Texas for one season with the Cowboys in 2020, starting nine games for the injured Dak Prescott. After stops in Chicago and New Orleans, he's now in his second year with Carolina.
Roy Williams • Safety • Cowboys (2002-08) • Bengals (2009-10)
The eighth overall pick in the 2002 draft made an immediate impact for the Cowboys, tying for first among NFL rookies in interceptions (5) while finishing second on the team in tackles (96). Williams would then earn Pro Bowl trips in each of the next five years as well as a first-team All-Pro honor in 2003. After an injury-plagued season in 2008, he headed to Cincinnati but played only 16 games combined over the next two years before retiring.
Terence Newman • Cornerback • Cowboys (2003-11) • Bengals (2012-14)
Selected fifth overall by Dallas in the 2003 draft, Newman finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and earned Pro Bowl honors in both 2007 and 2009. He also recorded 32 interceptions with the Cowboys, which is still tied for seventh in team history. Signed as a free agent by the Bengals in 2013, Newman started all 41 games he played in Cincinnati, posting five more picks and his only fumble return for a touchdown. He then finished out his 15-year career with the Vikings.
