Zack Martin may have played his last snap in Dallas because he’s thinking of going elsewhere in free agency – an ugly thought in Cowboys Nation.
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As the Dallas Cowboys make preparations for NFL free agency – and maybe for life without Zack Martin – this seems like a fine time to pause to reflect on one of the greatest careers in franchise history.
Martin, 34, may still be back in 2025 … though retirement has been a sort of loose plan even before the serious ankle injury that ended his season prematurely.
Or …
He could have played his last snap with the Cowboys because he’s thinking of going elsewhere in free agency – an ugly thought in Cowboys Nation.
But this much is true: He’s already cemented his legacy as one of the team’s best all-time five offensive linemen.
Martin, chosen 16th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, has already secured a future of immortality in the Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame.
He was voted to the Pro Bowl nine times in his first 10 years and an All-Pro seven times. The only time he didn’t make the Pro Bowl was in 2020 when he missed seven games with a concussion and calf injury.
With Tyron Smith’s departure last offseason and Martin potentially pondering a move, the Cowboys could be looking at a lost era of not making it to even an NFC Championship Game despite having two Hall-of-Fame offensive linemen for a decade.
Where does Martin rank among the Cowboys’ all-time best offensive linemen?
10. Flozell Adams 1998-2009 – Underrated because he became head coach Bill Parcells’ favorite target for criticism, he sneakily made five Pro Bowl teams.
9. Travis Frederick 2013-19 – Sadly, the career of the most dominant center in Cowboys’ history was cut short by Guillain–Barré syndrome. He made five consecutive Pro Bowls before succumbing to the disease and retiring after seven seasons.
8. Ralph Neely 1965-67 – Became a starter at tackle as a rookie and went on to earn a spot on the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team by making four All-Pros, two Pro Bowls and winning two Super Bowls.
7. Nate Newton 1986-98 – Despite battling weight issues his entire career, won three Super Bowl rings in the 1990s while making All-Pro twice and the Pro Bowl six times.
6. John Niland 1966-74 – Made three All-Pro teams and six Pro Bowls and started Dallas’ Super Bowl VI win as a dominant left guard.
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5. Tyron Smith 2011-23 – For the better part of his 13-year career he was the best – or at least in the conversation – left tackle in the NFL. Five All-Pros. Eight Pro Bowls. A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade team. He paved the way for two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott, protected a quarterback (Dak Prescott) who finished second in MVP voting and a receiver (CeeDee Lamb) who broke almost every franchise single-season record in 2023.
4. Erik Williams 1991-2000 – Despite having to battle Hall-of-Fame pass-rusher Reggie White and suffering major injuries in a car accident, he opened holes for all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith and won three Super Bowl rings on his way to three All-Pros and four Pro Bowls.
3. Zack Martin 2014-24 – You make more Pro Bowl teams than you allow sacks and you’ve sealed your paths to the Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame as the second-best guard in Cowboys history.
2. Rayfield Wright 1967-79 – The anchor for the Cowboys’ first five Super Bowl appearances, he was drafted as a tight end but wound up making six Pro Bowls and six All-Pros as a left tackle on his way to Canton.
1. Larry Allen 1994-2005 – Widely considered one of the greatest linemen in NFL history, the mammoth guard had the power to bench press 700 pounds and the speed to chase down opponents 40 yards from the line of scrimmage. He made 11 Pro Bowls, seven All-Pro teams, won a Super Bowl ring, made NFL All-Decade teams in the ’90s and ’00s and the 100th Anniversary Team, and resides in both the Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame.