Zack Martin suffered an ankle damage in Week 11, and it’ll preserve him out of the Cowboys’ lineup for the remainder of the yr. The longer term Corridor of Fame guard will endure season-ending surgical procedure, head coach Mike McCarthy introduced on Thursday.
Martin operated as a full-time starter during his 10 appearances in 2024, his 11th season with Dallas. The 2010s All-Decade team member has been a staple along the interior offensive line throughout his career, but there is a chance this news marks the end of his NFL playing tenure. Martin admitted this past summer he will give thought to retirement following the 2024 marketing campaign.
The 34-year-old is a pending free agent, and within the occasion he have been to hold up his cleats the Cowboys would face the difficult process of finding a replacement. Within the instant future, Dallas will proceed with a shorthanded unit up entrance together with former undrafted rookie T.J. Bass seeing time at guard. The group sits at 5-7 on the yr, and information of Martin being gone the remainder of the way in which provides additional to the probability of the season ending with out a postseason berth.
Whereas Martin’s Cowboys tenure has not included a deep playoff run, his profession incorporates a lengthy checklist of particular person accolades. The previous first-rounder has obtained 9 Professional Bowl invites and he has landed on 9 complete All-Professional lists (seven first-team, two second-team). Solely in 2020 — when he was restricted to simply 10 video games — did Martin not add to these figures. That may seemingly be the case once more for 2024.
Because the Cowboys put together to make quite a few key monetary choices this offseason, Martin’s future will likely be a central storyline for the franchise. The Notre Dame product has began all 162 of his appearances, working as a constant determine up entrance whereas different blockers have cycled via. Including new choices up entrance has been a draft precedence in recent times, with Tyler Smith being chosen in 2022 and fellow starters Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe being added this previous April.
Discovering a long-term proper guard choice can be a goal this offseason if Martin have been to retire. A choice on that entrance is probably not made for a number of months, but it surely might have in mind the prolonged rehab course of which is able to await him as soon as his operation takes place.