Dallas City News

Zack Martin enters his 11th season still among the top guards in the NFL. While Martin’s greatness has been a constant feature for the Cowboys over the last decade, it’s been a while since the offensive line as a whole could say the same. With new pieces in place, can Martin lead his group back to elite status in 2024?

As the 16th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Martin was always expected to be good. But nobody could’ve projected the instant impact he had in Dallas. Already in place were OT Tyron Smith and C Travis Frederick; Smith had just gone to his first Pro Bowl in 2013 and Frederick was one of the top rookie offensive linemen that year. But they weren’t enough to get the Cowboys over the 8-8 hump that they were stuck on from 2011-2013.

In fact, Martin’s debut was the only change on the offensive line from the year before. Ronald Leary and Doug Free, the starters at left guard and right tackle in his rookie season, had the same roles previously. Martin’s arrival put journeyman Mackenzy Bernadeau on the bench; a switch that took right guard from average to awesome and seemed to elevate the entire line, plus the rest of the Cowboys’ offense.

It was that year when RB DeMarco Murray exploded for 1,845 rushing yards, breaking Emmitt Smith’s single-season record. With a dominant run game and improved protection, QB Tony Romo had his career bests in completion percentage and passer rating, among other efficiency stats. Even with a sub-par defense that season, Dallas’ elite offense carried the team to a 12-4 record, plus its first division title and playoff victory under Jason Garrett.

That same line was still humming two years later when the Cowboys went 13-3 with rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott leading the way. While Leary and Free were on their last legs, the trio of Smith, Frederick, and Martin remained the gold standards at their positions. Even with primary receiving options like WR Dez Bryant and TE Jason Witten starting to decline, Dallas was able to control games on the ground and make things simple for their unexpected rookie starter at quarterback.

Things started to go down from there for the offensive line. Smith’s annual injury issues began in 2016 and only worsened with time. Frederick missed the 2018 season with a neurological disorder and retired two years later. Dallas got some strong years out of La’el Collins, but got lackluster results from draft picks like Connor Williams and Connor McGovern, plus a total bust in 2015 pick Chaz Green. Even with Martin still maintaining his All-Pro reputation year after year, the play around him just never got back to those peak years.

Dallas is hoping that will change this season. Martin is one of two elite pieces on the line, joined by third-year stud Tyler Smith as the other guard. Veteran Terence Steele is back at right tackle and reportedly looking more like his prime, pre-injury self again. Steele came back from a major knee injury last year and was noticeably struggling early, but improved as the season went and seems to have carried that into 2024. At the very least, if we’re comparing this to the 2014-2016 era, he should be as good as Doug Free was.

The key to getting the line back to greatness will be the installation of two rookie starters in LT Tyler Guyton, their first-round pick, and third-round C Cooper Beebe. Asking these youngsters to just be competent doesn’t feel like a tall task after their strong offseasons, but we can’t be sure until the real games begin. Replacing Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz at their respective position though, especially in Year One, is another matter.

Dallas let both veterans walk in last spring’s free agency. Smith had a resurgent 2023 campaign, only missing four games and returning to the All-Pro team. But the Cowboys didn’t want to pay his asking price given the high risk of absences, especially in what will now be Smith’s 14th season. They were ready for a fresh start at left tackle and Guyton, while only the 29th pick overall, is already looking the part of another great Cowboys offensive lineman.

At center, Biadasz was solid but never the Travis Frederick replacement people unreasonably hoped for. Dallas is now hoping that Beebe, a more highly-regarded prospect coming out of the draft than Biadasz was, can elevate the position at a fraction of what it would have cost to keep the veteran. As long as he can handle snapping duties throughout the season without incident, Beebe looks poised to be a standout run blocker right away and could improve on Biadasz’s work even as a rookie.

These are high hopes, no doubt, but they seem more reasonable after all we’ve seen from and heard about the newcomers this summer. Thankfully, these rookies have an incredible mentor in teammate Zack Martin. Like when he debuted in 2014, Guyton and Beebe have the potential to lift the Cowboys’ offensive line to another level. Who better to help them be great right out of the gate than him?

When Martin arrived in Dallas, Tyron Smith and Frederick were only in their fourth and second seasons and just starting to get league-wide recognition. Martin has the opportunity to give Guyton and Beebe something he didn’t have as a rookie; the long-term experience of a well-established legend. When Martin speaks, these kids already know they’re listening to a future Hall of Famer.

Beyond helping his young teammates, Martin’s leadership in 2024 also needs to come on the field. Turning 34 in November, he’s allowed to show some age like any other player. But if the Cowboys’ offensive line is going to get back to dominance this season then it will likely depend on Martin and Tyler Smith’s play lifting Steele and the rookies around them. Even if they also wind up next to Martin in Canton one day, Guyton and Beebe are allowed to experience growing pains. Those will be mitigated if the two guards are once again among the NFL elite.

Given that Zack Martin has already brought up retirement, 2024 may very well be his last NFL season. If so, we can only hope that it provides a fitting bookend to his illustrious career. He was the missing piece that made the Cowboys’ offensive line special as a rookie. Now, Martin can be the veteran leader for a new era with exciting young rookies joining the starting lineup. If Dallas is going to do anything memorable this season, Martin and the offensive line are going to be a key reason why.