Blogging The Boys
Do you think the Cowboys should bring back Zack Martin?
From the moment the Dallas Cowboys passed on Johnny Manziel to take Zack Martin, the guard from Notre Dame has served as a consummate reminder that sometimes the best decisions are the ones you don’t overthink. An All-Pro from the onset, Martin has been one of the team’s most reliable assets over the last decade. It’s hard to think of things to complain about when it comes to Martin unless you count injuring Sean Lee on the last day of OTA’s in the summer of 2014, but even that wasn’t really his fault and just set the stage for what was to come, which was that Zack Martin is an absolute mauler.
Fast forward to this past season and the complaints finally started coming in. The once dominant blocker was not so evident anymore, and there were times when he was, dare we say, a liability for the offense. As weird as it may sound to say this, the Cowboys offensive line might be better without him.
That’s blasphemous, some of you are thinking. And the reason to be defensive is because Martin’s body of work is so incredibly strong. His résumé is decorated so nicely that he’ll be on the fast track to Canton as soon as his eligibility clock starts ticking. He’s played 11 seasons in the league and nine of those seasons he’s been an All-Pro. And seven of those have been first-team All-Pro. He’s not messing around. In fact, the only two seasons he didn’t earn All-Pro honors were the two seasons he didn’t play more than 10 games, and one of those instances was this past season.
When Martin had season-ending ankle surgery in early December, it was a sad moment as we realized he may have played his last game in a Cowboys uniform. He doesn’t have any additional years left on his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He’s 34 years old and had missed time in four of his last five seasons in the league after only missing two games his first six years in the game. Even the great Zack Martin isn’t immune from the eventual fate rendered by Father Time.
Recently, Martin talked about his future and the possibilities in front of him whether it includes returning to Dallas, playing somewhere else, or hanging things up and retiring. A big part of his decision will depend on his health and how well his ankle heals. And it’s not just about being back on the field but being able to play at a high level when he’s out there.
And therein lies the problem. For years a less-than 100% version of Martin was always welcomed because he was so good that he was still better than most guards in the league. That’s no longer the case. His performance has declined over the past two seasons, and his play suffered at times this past season.
Martin has always...
