In 10 games this year, as a 34-year-old guard who is clearly on the downside of his career, Cowboys likely future Hall of Famer Zack Martin has shown that time might be catching up with him. Martin posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 65.6, which is respectable–he ranks 33rd among all guards in the NFL–but is not in line with his usual standard.
In the first eight years of his career, in fact, he ranked in the Top 5 among guards according to PFF’s metrics. He was No. 1 in 2016 and 2017.
Martin’s step back this year came along with massive changes to the Cowboys offensive line, with the team attempting to insert two rookies into key positions. For everything that has gone wrong in a miserable Cowboys season, the team’s inability to remake its offensive line on the fly might not be the fashionable issue to point out, but it is likely the root of most of the team’s offensive problems.
And that’s not going to get better. On Thursday, the Cowboys announced that Martin will have surgery on his ankle, and end his 2024 season.
Cowboys Will Miss Veteran Leadership
Martin has had persistent injuries throughout the season, to both ankles and his shoulder, so the news is not a huge surprise. Coach Mike McCarthy addressed the topic.
“He’s gonna be missed,” said McCarthy, via the team’s website. “We’re not gonna replace Zack Martin, by any means. … He brings so much to the team and the team culture. We all recognize what kind of player he”s been here in Dallas, but the type of person he is — people gravitate to him. His leadership, he’ll definitely be missed in that area.”
Martin was a first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2014, and was a starter from the first time he stepped on the field. In fact, he started the first 79 games of his career, before he missed a Week 14 game in 2018.
The biggest question for Martin is where he goes from Here. Given his inability to stay healthy this year, and even last year, when he struggled, missed two games and played through other injuries, it is possible that Martin could hang up his cleats and retire after this season.
He has one year on his contract, too, meaning it is not out of the question that the Cowboys could waive him in the offseason.
Zack Martin Uncertain About Future
McCarthy did address the possibility of Martin retiring, according to a post on Twitter/X from reporter Ed Werder.
“I think you just have to take a step back and deal with one thing at a time, and that’s frankly the conversation that Zack and I had,” McCarthy said. “The focus is really about the surgery, what’s next.”
Martin himself has been noncommittal.
“I’m just taking it one week at a time,” he told CBS earlier this year.
He also said he has gotten accustomed to playing through injuries. “Everyone’s banged up in this locker room and around the league. That’s not an excuse,” Martin said. “So at the end of the day, I got to play better. Our team, everyone’s got to play better. I mean, it’s no secret. We want to win some games, we got to play better.”
