Perhaps one of the greatest careers without a championship in NFL history came to an end after the 2024 season when longtime Dallas Cowboys offensive guard and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Zack Martin announced his retirement.
Martin, a 2014 first round pick out of Notre Dame, played all 11 of his NFL seasons in Dallas and walked away from the game as one of the most dominant (and highly paid) offensive linemen of his generation — a 9-time NFL All-Pro and 9-time Pro Bowler who raked in approximately $111.9 million in career earnings.
All of that doesn’t obscure the fact the Cowboys went 7-10 in Martin’s final season and struggled on the offensive line — including Martin — which caused no small amount of hand wringing within the franchise and its fanbase.
That agita might not last long. That’s because the Cowboys might have the next decade at guard covered with 2025 first round pick (No. 12 overall) Tyler Booker, who has earned glowing praise through the first part of offseason work.
“Despite the padless practices, Booker has impressed with his willingness to learn and work,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on June 24. “He has been with the starters from the first OTA through the minicamp, so there’s no pretense about what is expected. He is being viewed the same way the Cowboys have viewed Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith: as a Day 1 starter.”
Booker Comes Into NFL Ready to Battle
Booker, 6-foot-5 and 321 pounds, was part of an incredible run on offensive linemen to kick off the 2025 draft — he was the fourth of 8 total offensive linemen drafted in the first round.
His utter domination on the college level also shows a player ready to step in and face NFL competition. At Alabama, Booker was a 2-time team captain, 2-time All-SEC selection and earned All-American honors in 2024 while making 25 starts over his final 2 seasons. Booker left school with one year of eligibility remaining.
“(Booker) is tough, smart and a top leader,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “The traits, football character and play strength will make him a good starter for a downhill, power-based attack.”
Cowboys Need Immediate Help On Offensive Line
Booker’s role as a plug and play starter comes with some hefty purse strings — he signed a 4-year, $22.533 million rookie contract.
It also comes with the franchise at an inflection point. After consecutive 12-5 seasons in 2022 and 2023, the Cowboys came apart at the seams in 2024 as quarterback Dak Prescott missed the final 9 games of the regular season with a hamstring injury.
To add insult to injury, the Cowboys watched from home as 2 other NFC East teams faced off in the NFC Championship Game with the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and upstart Washington Commanders.
That puts the Cowboys squarely ahead of just the lowly (and possibly improved) New York Giants, and the pressure on Booker and his compatriots to protect Prescott at all costs.
“Whether it’s the responsibilities that (Booker) has to bring to the huddle or whether it’s his communications on the line, he’s doing a hell of a job,” Prescott told ESPN. “And you can tell this guy is a football player. Guy has a lot of pride standard in what he does.”
