By Saad Yousuf, Jon Machota and Chris Licata
Dallas Cowboys All-Pro guard Zack Martin is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his right ankle, coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday. The injury first occurred in Week 11 against the Houston Texans, though Martin fought to play through injuries to both ankles in 2024.
The 34-year-old was absent during Dallas’ last two games against the Washington Commanders and New York Giants after starting the first 10 contests of the season. Martin has been one of the NFL’s ironmen over the last decade, having only missed 11 regular season games throughout his first 10 years in the NFL.
“We’re not gonna replace Zack Martin, by any means,” McCarthy said. “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.”
Attention now turns to his future in Dallas, as Martin has one year remaining on the two-year, $36.8 million restructured contract he signed last August. It carries a $10.6 million salary cap hit in 2025.
Martin, named the Cowboys’ nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award on Wednesday, has been named an All-Pro selection seven times and a Pro Bowler nine times since being selected No. 16 overall by Dallas in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Immediate impact of losing Martin?
The Cowboys’ offensive line is obviously not going to be better without Martin. But multiple ankle injuries significantly impacted his play this season, which led to him having the worst year of his 11-year career. He’s currently ranked 33rd out of 73 offensive guards this season by Pro Football Focus. He was 18th last year and never outside of the top 10 the previous nine seasons. With Martin being out the last two games, Brock Hoffman has had an opportunity to get starting reps. The Cowboys also like the upside of reserve guard T.J. Bass.
“Those guys have worked hard,” McCarthy said. “I mean Brock’s done a nice job in there. T.J., I thought he played well in Washington. I think that the biggest thing for (Bass) is to be consistent. I thought Brock has done a really nice job. He brings an edge to us. Those guys have done what we needed to fill in. But now, they got tape, people are watching them, so their challenges will be different.”
This also gives the Cowboys an opportunity to see what they have at the position. With this possibly being Martin’s final year in Dallas, guard could be a high priority in April’s draft. If Hoffman or Bass aren’t the answer, the Cowboys could look to draft a guard early or potentially a center, giving rookie center Cooper Beebe the opportunity to play right guard. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
Martin leaves behind a gargantuan legacy
Considering the circumstances — Martin’s expiring contract and age — there’s a very good chance that this season-ending injury marks the end of Martin’s illustrious career. Going back to training camp, and as recently as a few weeks ago, Martin has been noticeably avoidant of questions about his playing future beyond this season. Martin has dealt with a bevy of injuries recently, showing up on injury reports this year with ankle, shoulder and back ailments. His right ankle, the one that requires surgery, has been a problem for him but he recently hurt his left ankle, too. This season-ending surgery is at least the third surgery on his right ankle.
If this is it for Martin’s playing days, he leaves behind a gargantuan legacy as one of the all-time great Cowboys and a certain Hall of Famer.
Martin was the last addition of the three pillars the Cowboys had on the offensive line when the unit was at its peak, opening lanes for Demarco Murray’s spectacular 2014 season and ushering in Ezekiel Elliott in 2016. Left tackle Tyron Smith was drafted in 2010, center Travis Frederick in 2013 and Martin came along in the first round in 2014. Martin consistently played at such a high level that his spot was rarely given a second thought. He made the Pro Bowl in every year of his career, except 2020, in which his season ended early due to injury after the Cowboys’ injury situation required them to ask Martin to switch positions. Martin has also been an All-Pro in every year of his career aside from 2020, seven times being first-team All-Pro and twice being second-team All-Pro. As has been the case of many great talents before him, such as Smith, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware and others, the Cowboys were unable to turn their elite presence into any deep postseason runs.
Although he was the final of the aforementioned big three offensive line talents, he was arguably the most reliable. Frederick was on a potential Hall of Fame trajectory, but his career was cut short due to Guillain-Barré syndrome. Smith battled through injuries for his last few years in Dallas and his health was in a delicate spot almost week-to-week. Martin was the rock solid pillar. Martin had some uncharacteristic struggles this year, but the injuries, specifically to his ankle, had everything to do with that. If he does hang up the cleats, Martin will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2030. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
