Player Profile

PRO: Greg Ellis has overcome the pressure and expectations of being the Cowboys highest draft pick (eighth overall) since Russell Maryland was taken with the first overall pick in 1991, as well as the physical demands of returning from a major injury in 2000. Through it all, Ellis has risen to the top of his profession, becoming one of the games top all-around defensive ends. In his five NFL seasons, he has led the team in sacks three times and four times led all Dallas defensive linemen in tackles (the only year he did not lead the team's linemen in tackles was his injury shortened 1999 campaign). A sign of his growth and improvement can be seen in the fact that he has increased his per-game tackle total in each of his five seasons, from 3.9 tackles-per-game as a rookie to 5.8 per-game in 2002. Having had his 1999 season cut short when he fractured the tibia and fibula in his left leg, Ellis fought through the pain and rehabilitation that accompanied having a titanium rod inserted into the leg during the 2000 season. By the end of the year, he had re-emerged as one of the top young defensive ends in the game, proving his worth to the club both on and off the field. On the field, he led the club's defensive linemen with a then career-high 77 tackles and off the field he was named by teammates as the recipient of the Ed Block courage award for overcoming his injuries. Ellis has continued to firmly establish himself as one of the team's true leaders with a level of consistency and production that showcased his versatility, durability and unselfishness, playing both defensive end positions and tackle in some pass rushing situations. Although he hasn't posted the type of sack numbers that place him among the NFL leaders, Ellis efficiently produces the type of all-around game that makes him one of the league's most complete linemen.

2002: As the team has come to expect, Ellis led all linemen and was fourth on the team with a career-high 87 tackles, topping his previous best of 83 in 2001. He led the team and tied for 16th in the NFC with 7.5 sacks, tying his single-season best from 1999. He also led the team with a career-high 30 quarterback pressures, topping his previous best of 26 set in 2001. Ellis opened the season with a bang, recording at least half a sack in each of the first four games of the season, the longest such streak since Jim Jeffcoat recorded a sack in five straight games in Weeks 7-11 of 1992. He led all defensive linemen with five tackles and three quarterback pressures at Houston (9/8). He also added half a sack and deflected a fourth quarter pass that La'Roi Glover intercepted to end a potential Texans scoring drive at the Cowboys' 14 yard-line. The following week against Tennessee (9/15), he posted a single-game career-high tying two sacks and tied for the team lead among linemen with six tackles while leading the team with three quarterback pressures. His play on the line helped limit Eddie George to a 3.4 yards-per-carry average. Ellis had one of the most dominating games of his career pressuring the quarterback at Philadelphia (9/22), finishing with his second straight two-sack game, as well as a career-high tying six pressures. He broke up one pass at the line and forced a fumble to kill a potential Eagles' scoring drive. It was the first time a Cowboys' player has posted back-to-back multiple sack games since Tony Tolbert in Weeks 5-6 in 1996. At St. Louis (9/29), he recorded two of the biggest plays of the game. On the Rams final drive, Ellis recorded the club's only sack of the day on a third-and-three play at the Dallas 25-yard line. His six-yard sack forced the Rams to attempt a 49-yard field goal that hit the right upright, giving Dallas the ball for its game-winning field goal. In the first quarter, he ended a Rams drive with his second career interception, picking off a Kurt Warner pass. Dallas drove to its only touchdown of the day following the interception. Ellis finished the day with three tackles, a sack, two quarterback pressures and the interception. He then led all linemen with five tackles at the N.Y. Giants (10/6) but did not record a sack, ending his string of consecutive games with a sack at four. Against Carolina (10/13) he again led all linemen with eight tackles and added a quarterback pressure. His play along the line helped limit Carolina to 3.5 yards-per-carry and a long run of nine yards. For the third straight game he was at the top of the linemen tackle totals with seven at Arizona (10/20). Ellis recorded five tackles and a pressure while helping limit Shaun Alexander to a 2.5 yards-per-carry average on 23 carries (58 yards) against Seattle (10/27). He began experiencing headaches from a concussion suffered against Arizona following the Seattle game and was inactive at Detroit (11/3). He returned to the starting lineup at Indianapolis (11/17) and led all linemen with nine tackles. Against Jacksonville (11/24), he led the entire team with a season-high 10 tackles and recorded his first sack since Week 4. He also added five quarterback pressures and a tackle for a loss while helping limit the Jags to 194 net yards passing. Ellis was second among defensive linemen with five tackles against Washington (11/28) and also had a tackle for a loss and a pressure as the Cowboys held Stephen Davis to 51 yards on 20 carries (2.6 avg.). For the game, the defense allowed just 121 second half yards on eight Redskins' possessions. The following week against San Francisco (12/8), Ellis tied for the team lead among defensive linemen with eight tackles while also recording the club's only sack of the game. Ellis was again atop the line tackle chart with six stops at the N.Y. Giants (12/15). In the season finale at Washington (12/29), Ellis as usual tied for the lead among linemen with five tackles and added one quarterback pressure.

2001: As a key contributor to the Cowboys dramatic turnaround on defense, Ellis led Dallas in sacks (six), quarterback pressures (26) and forced fumbles (four). While starting all 16 games at left end, he led all defensive linemen in tackles with a then career-high 83 (fourth on the team), and he was third on the team in tackles for losses (seven for minus 12 yards). Ellis' efforts helped the Cowboys defense rank fourth in the NFL, allowing an average of just 287.4 yards-per-game. The Dallas run defense was 13th in the NFL (sixth in the NFC), allowing an average of 106.9 yards on the ground, while the pass defense closed the year third in the NFL - permitting just 180.6 yards-per-game. In 2001, Dallas allowed 1,710 rushing yards, a figure that was 927 fewer yards than the club allowed during the 2000 season. Those numbers represented the largest turnaround by any defensive unit in the NFL in 2001. In the season opening loss to Tampa Bay (9/9), Ellis led all Dallas defensive linemen with nine stops while posting one of Dallas' two sacks. Against San Diego (9/23), he saw action on all 77 defensive plays and recorded four tackles, including one for a loss. The Dallas front seven limited LaDainian Tomlinson to a 3.3-yard average on 27 carries in the game. The following week at Philadelphia (9/30), Ellis was extremely active, contributing a career-high six quarterback pressures and two pass deflections. At Oakland (10/7), he led the team with three quarterback pressures while working from both the left and right sides. He also led all defensive linemen with four tackles against the Raiders. In the Monday night win over Washington (10/15), Ellis recorded five tackles and his second sack of the year while helping limit the Redskins to 226 total yards. His biggest play of the game came with 2:39 remaining when he recovered a Stephen Davis fumble at the Cowboys 33-yard line to set Dallas up for it's game-winning field goal drive. In the win over Arizona (10/28), he led all defensive linemen with seven tackles while helping limit the Cardinals to 75 rushing yards. Ellis also added a tackle for a loss, three quarterback pressures and batted down two passes against the Cardinals. He turned in another outstanding performance at New York (11/4), leading all defensive linemen with eight tackles while also recording his third sack of the season and forcing a fumble on the play. Ellis had two tackles behind the line while helping limit the Giants to 93 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.6 avg.). In Atlanta (11/11), Ellis was second on the team in tackles with seven, and he turned in his first multiple-sack game of the season with two, as the Falcons were limited to 201 total yards. In the loss to Philadelphia (11/18) at Texas Stadium, Ellis led the team with three quarterback pressures, as the Eagles were limited to 227 total yards - 100 yards below their season average. On the ground, the Eagles averaged 2.8-yards-per-carry on 35 attempts. On Thanksgiving Day against Denver (11/22), Ellis led all defensive linemen with six tackles and added a tackle for a loss as the Broncos were limited to 3.1 yards-per-carry for the game. In Dallas' 20-14 win at Washington (12/2), Ellis again led all Cowboys' linemen in tackles with seven. He also added a tackle for a loss, two quarterback pressures and batted down a pass. Stephen Davis, the NFC's third leading rusher entering the game, was held to 53 yards on 17 carries (3.1 avg.). He registered his sixth sack of the year in the win over the N.Y. Giants (12/9), while leading all defensive linemen with six tackles. His sack was a fourth quarter takedown of Kerry Collins that also forced a fumble. Ellis also forced Collins into two bad throws with pressures and helped limit the Giants to just 73 yards of total offense on their final eight possessions. At Seattle (12/16), he suffered a sprained right knee mid-way through the first quarter but returned to action in the second quarter and recorded four tackles, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback pressure while the Seahawks were held to 139 net yards passing. In the 17-10 loss at Arizona (12/23), he recorded four tackles and a quarterback pressure. In the Cowboys upset win over playoff bound San Francisco (12/30), he registered three tackles, two quarterback pressures and recovered a fumble. Ellis played a key role in Dallas being able to limit the NFL's second ranked 49er running game (146-yards-per-game at the time) to 56 yards.

2000: After two years patrolling the left end of the Dallas defensive line, Ellis switched to the right side in 2000 to take pressure off his injured left leg. He went on to lead all defensive linemen with a then career-high 77 tackles, while tying for the team lead with seven tackles for losses and two fumble recoveries. He also finished second on the team with 13 quarterback pressures. After working into camp slowly, Ellis returned to full action for the final two preseason games. In the season opener against Philadelphia (9/3), he led all defensive linemen with eight tackles and a tackle for a loss in his first regular season action since suffering the leg fracture. He recovered a fumble at Arizona (9/10), and then at Washington (9/18), he recorded his first sack of the season on the game's final play to preserve the Cowboys Monday night win. He also recovered a Redskins fumble in the second quarter to set up a Dallas touchdown. Ellis led all defensive linemen and was third on the team with a career-high 11 tackles against San Francisco (9/24). It was the highest tackle total by a Dallas defensive lineman since Chad Hennings recorded 11 stops against the N.Y. Giants on Dec. 21, 1997. Facing perennial All-Pro Tony Boselli, Ellis put together an admirable day against Jacksonville (10/29) with five tackles, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback pressure. He also forced Boselli into two illegal procedure penalties. On special teams, Ellis blocked his first career field goal, getting his hand on a 49-yard fourth quarter attempt by Mike Hollis. Ellis was second among defensive linemen with nine tackles, including two behind the line, at Philadelphia (11/5) while helping limit the Eagles running backs to 25 carries for 77 yards (3.1 avg.). His seven tackles against Cincinnati (11/12) led all defensive linemen, and he recorded his second sack of the season with a takedown of Akili Smith, as the Bengals were limited to 195 total yards. Ellis again led all defensive linemen in tackles and was third on the team with nine stops at Baltimore (11/19). His five tackles against Minnesota (11/23) tied him for second on the team. With four tackles, a sack and two quarterback pressures against Washington (12/10), Ellis helped limit the Redskins to just 79 rushing yards on the day, a season low for the Dallas defense. Ellis wrapped up his comeback season with an all-around game at Tennessee (12/25), recording three tackles, two quarterback pressures and a tackle for a loss.

1999: Despite missing the final three regular season games because of a fractured left tibia and fibula, Ellis led the team with 7.5 sacks, the highest sack total by a Dallas player since Tony Tolbert had 12.0 in 1996. Before the injury, he was eighth in the NFC in sacks and was also tied for the team lead with 17 quarterback pressures. He finished the season with 59 tackles, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles. Ellis set the tone for the season early, recording five tackles and a career-best two sacks at Washington (9/12) in the season opener. The first sack came with the Redskins at the Dallas four-yard line and forced a fumble that George Teague recovered to end a potential scoring drive. The second sack came on third and three on the Redskins opening possession in overtime and forced them to punt. Dallas then took the ball and drove 95-yards for the game-winning score. The next week on Monday Night Football, he recorded his first career interception and touchdown when he picked off a Danny Kanell pass and raced 87-yards for a score against Atlanta (9/20). It was the longest touchdown return of any kind by a defensive lineman in club history until the next game. He also led all defensive linemen with six tackles on the evening. Ellis closed out his season opening burst of big plays against Arizona (10/3) by returning a Jake Plummer fumble 98 yards for a touchdown, the longest fumble return in Cowboys history. In doing so, he became the first Cowboys defensive player since Ray Horton in 1991 (vs. N.Y. Giants, 9/29 and at Green Bay, 10/6) to score a touchdown in back-to-back weeks. Ellis logged four tackles at Philadelphia (10/10) before adding seven tackles and a sack in helping limit the N.Y. Giants (10/18) to 2.5 yards-per-carry. Ellis was third on the team, tops among linemen, with seven tackles at Indianapolis (10/31) while also adding a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble. For the second time in 1999, Ellis recorded a career-high two sacks in a game while also leading all defensive linemen with five tackles at Minnesota (11/8). With three tackles and a team-high three quarterback pressures against Green Bay (11/14), he helped limit Brett Favre to a 57.1 QB rating and the Packers to 40 yards rushing, including 31 yards on 15 attempts (2.1 avg.) by Dorsey Levens. He then logged a season-high eight tackles at Arizona (11/21) to finish second on the team, while adding a sack and three quarterback pressures. On Thanksgiving Day against Miami (11/25), pressure from the defensive front was instrumental in forcing Dan Marino into a career-worst five interceptions. Ellis recorded his final sack of the season at New England (12/5) while adding four tackles, but his season came to an abrupt end the next week against Philadelphia (12/12) when he fractured the tibia and fibula in his left leg in the first quarter. He underwent surgery that night to have a titanium rod inserted into the leg and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 15. Following the season, he also underwent surgery on Feb. 10, 2000 to have a bone chip removed from his right wrist

1998: Ellis finished his rookie campaign leading the team with 22 quarterback pressures and all defensive linemen with 63 tackles. He also closed the year with five tackles for losses, five passes defensed and three sacks. Since tackle records began being kept in 1979, Ellis became the Cowboys first rookie to lead all defensive linemen on the team in tackles. This effort earned him all-rookie honors from Football News and Football Digest. Against Arizona (9/6), he became the first rookie to start a season opener at defensive end for Dallas since Bob Lilly in 1961. He finished with two tackles and two quarterback pressures against the Cardinals. He registered five tackles at Denver (9/13) before totaling three tackles and two quarterback pressures at the N.Y. Giants (9/21). He also forced his first career fumble in the fourth quarter and helped limit the Giants to 56 rushing yards. He recorded his first career sack while adding three tackles against Oakland (9/27). He totaled five stops at Washington (10/4), and he registered a season-high nine tackles and 1.5 sacks against Carolina (10/11) while helping limit the Panthers to 37 yards rushing on 21 carries (1.8 avg.). He had three tackles and helped limit the Bears to 2.5 yards-per-rush at Chicago (10/18). He recorded four tackles and half a sack against the Giants (11/8) before recording two tackles and two pressures while helping limit the Cardinals to 32 rushing yards at Arizona (11/15). Against Seattle (11/22), he totaled two tackles and deflected his first NFL pass. Four days later against Minnesota (11/26) on Thanksgiving Day, he led all defensive linemen with four tackles while adding two pressures and two passes defensed. He added six tackles and his first career fumble recovery at New Orleans (12/6). He led all defensive linemen with seven tackles and a career-high four quarterback pressures against Philadelphia (12/20), and he registered four tackles and two tackles for losses in the season finale against Washington (12/27). In his first postseason action against Arizona (1/2/99), he led all defensive linemen with eight tackles.

COLLEGE: Ellis teamed with Cowboys 1999 first round draft choice Ebenezer Ekuban on the defensive line at North Carolina. With 32.5 career sacks, Ellis left North Carolina as the school's all-time sack leader, the same school that produced NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. As a senior, Ellis earned All-America honors, was a finalist for the Lombardi Award and an All-ACC selection for the third straight season after collecting 87 tackles, nine sacks and 32 quarterback pressures. As a junior, Ellis was named second-team All-America by The Sporting News and first-team All-ACC after closing the season with 62 tackles, a school record 38 quarterback pressures and 12.5 sacks, the second most sacks in a season behind Taylor's 16 in 1979. In 1995, Ellis became the first North Carolina sophomore to be named first-team All-ACC since Reuben Davis in 1985. Ellis was also named honorable mention All-America by UPI while recording 71 tackles and seven sacks. As a back-up defensive end during his redshirt freshman year, Ellis ranked second on the team with four sacks.

PERSONAL: Gregory Lemont Ellis was an all-state selection as a tight end and defensive end at East Wake High School in Wendell, N.C. During his high school career, he intercepted five passes and returned all of them for touchdowns. He also blocked four punts and returned two of them for scores. An outstanding basketball player, Ellis was selected to play in the North Carolina East/West Shrine Game. The Greensboro News and Observer voted him the Male High School Athlete of the Year in 1993. Ellis enjoys spending time with the children at Happy Hill Farm and supporting their program that houses and educates abused and neglected children. Annually, he provides season tickets for the children from Happy Hill Farm to attend Cowboys home football games. Ellis has also served as a celebrity model escort for the annual Children's Cancer Fund Fashion Show, provided clothing and toys for needy children during the holidays for The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, served as honorary chairman for the Crossroads Interfaith Housing Program in 2001 & 2002 and served as a celebrity guest reader for the Cowboys 2001 and 2002 Kick Off To School Reading night events hosted at the club's training camp site. Ellis received his degree in communications studies at UNC, where he was also a member of the junior varsity basketball team as a sophomore. Ellis' wife, Tangie, was his high school sweetheart. The couple have a daughter, Tyann (1/17/00), and son, Germiah Gregory Ellis (5/29/03).