John Niland. Blaine Nye. Herb Scott. Nate Newton. Larry Allen.
To think, Zack Martin stands among these all-time greats and has an excellent chance of sitting atop the totem of best offensive guards in Dallas Cowboys history. Martin has spent six seasons in the league, yet he is as decorated or more honored than almost every hallowed name on that list. With six Pro Bowls to his name, he’s already tied for second-most at the position within the franchise with Niland and Newton. He stands alone in second place with four First-Team All-Pro designations.
Only Allen’s incomprehensible 11 Pro Bowls and seven First-Team All-Pro nods stands in front of him, and Martin’s level of play indicates that if he wants to add another seven or eight years to his resume he could threaten those marks, too. Allen is by and large seen as the best offensive lineman in Cowboys’ history. He was named to two different All-Decade teams and the NFL’s 100th anniversary squad. Martin has that kind of opportunity.
The Notre Dame tackle was drafted in 2014, and after spending just 60% of the decade in the pros, he was named to the 2010 All-Decade team himself. If his play in 2019 is any indication, he stands a great chance of making the next one. According to Pro-Football-Reference’s Approximate Value metric, Martin’s 2019 was his best yet, earning him a 15 on the season.
The 6-foot-4, 315 pound dominator in both run blocking and pass protection has allowed eight sacks, per Pro Football Focus… in his career. He pitched a shutout in 2019 and only committed two penalties, both in the first week of the season.
To put his pass blocking prowess in perspective, over his six seasons he’s faced 3,711 pass blocking snaps. He’s only allowed 95 pressures and only committed 18 penalties. To put his run-blocking acumen in focus, Dallas has boasted the NFL’s leading rusher (yards per game) four times in Martin’s six seasons, and the outright leader on three occasions.
Since 1987 there have only been 16 guards with two or more first-team All-Pro designations. Martin’s one of four players on this list with less than 10 years experience, and was the earliest entrant at three years prior to Indianapolis’ Quentin Nelson joining. Of the 10 on this list eligible for the Hall of Fame, five are already in and that doesn’t include Newton, a bona fide snub.
Draft Stuff
Here’s a look in the past at Dane Brugler’s spot-on analysis of Martin coming out of Notre Dame.
SUMMARY: A three-star high school recruit, Martin was mostly offered by Big Ten and other Midwest programs, enrolling at Notre Dame in 2009 and redshirting. He earned the starting LT job in 2010 and held that post for the last four seasons, never missing a game for the Irish over his career – 52 career starts (50 LT, 2 RT).
Martin has quick, controlled movements and is already at a NFL pace. He sets up quickly to extend and absorb contact and routinely appears one step ahead of rushers – very smart and seasoned. Martin lacks elite lateral quickness and length and can find himself bending too much at the waist, which is why he does his best work in a phone booth and in short-areas. He won’t test off the charts physically, but he’s very consistent, versatile and durable with the competitive temperament and graduate level intellect for the position – borderline top-15 prospect who should be able to hold up at tackle, but projects as an All-Pro guard and is best suited inside.
Nailed it.
Martin was part of an iconic draft class in 2014. Taken with the No. 16 pick, he’ll always be linked with QB Johnny Manziel because owner Jerry Jones played up the club’s interest in the Texas A&M wild card, but he’s more accurately a contemporary of DT Aaron Donald. The two will both enter Canton one day and could warrant consideration of best ever at their positions. Also in the draft class, DE Khalil Mack, wideouts Mike Evans and Odell Beckham, Jr. and of course Cowboys teammate DeMarcus Lawrence.
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Salary Breakdown
The Cowboys wisely rewarded Martin with a new deal prior to the 2018 season, at the time making him the highest-paid guard in league history. The new money averaged out to $14 million per season.
Only one player has since signed a bigger long-term deal
7-Year, $93.341 M ; $40 M guaranteed |
||||
Year |
Base Salary |
Prorated SB |
Roster Bonus |
Cap Hit |
| 2018 | $2,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $0 | $6,000,000 |
| 2019 | $10,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $0 | $14,000,000 |
| 2020 | $11,000,000 ($8,000,000) |
$4,000,000 | $0 | $15,000,000 |
| 2021 | $11,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $0 | $15,000,000 |
| 2022 | $11,841,000 | $4,000,000 | $0 | $15,841,000 |
| 2023 | $13,500,000 | $0 | $13,500,000 | |
| 2024 | $13,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $14,000,000 | |
| TOTAL | $72,341,000 | $20,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $93,341,000 |
Videos and Film Study
There is no better OL savant than Duke Manyweather. He joins Dan Hatman to break down Martin’s two 2019 games against Eagles DT Fletcher Cox.
More film study from the guys at Cover 0.
Martin was a Top 60 player in the NFL’s countdown last year, he’ll likely rank higher in 2020.
This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. Up next is OT Brandon Knight.
| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |
| Cole Hikutini | Dalton Schultz | Noah Brown | Sean McKeon |
| Ventell Bryant | Jon’vea Johnson | Blake Bell | Justin Hamilton |
| Cody Wichmann | Tyron Smith | Ladarius Hamilton |
| Neville Gallimore | Terence Steele | Joe Looney | La’el Collins
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