Tag: Zack Martin

2024 NFL draft: Who were the last 25 prospects taken at No. 16 overall?

Let’s review the last 25 prospects who were selected at No. 16 overall in the draft.

The Seahawks currently hold the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. That might not be high enough to get them an elite quarterback prospect or a blue-chip defender. However, a lot of special players have been taken at that spot historically and if your team can’t manage to land a good pick there then you need a new general manager. Let’s review the last 25 prospects who were selected at No. 16 overall in the draft.

Along the way you will see a lot of great cornerbacks, a few legendary edge rushers, a couple excellent offensive linemen and one all-time great safety.

2024 NFL mock draft: 2 teams trade up into top 10 for QBs

Cowboys convert Zack Martin’s final contract year to get under salary cap

A look at how Dallas converted Zack Martin’s salary into more cap space while paying him the same amount. The Cowboys are now cap compliant for 2024. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have pulled their first trigger of the 2024 league year. On Friday, just 72 hours before the legal tampering window opens for free agency, the team made one of the moves that will allow them to start shopping. Whether that be at Saks Fifth Avenue or Walmart remains to be seen, but teams must at a minimum be under the $255.4 million salary cap by Wednesday, 4pm eastern time.

Dallas was approximately $11 million over the cap, but on Friday restructured the final year of Zack Martin’s contract, pushing cap hit into the future, to get themselves under the threshold.

Martin, scheduled to make $18 million in base salary this season, all guaranteed after a holdout last training camp, was set to cost Dallas $28.5 million against the cap.

A player’s cap hit is a combination of current year base salary and incentives, plus any amortized bonus money from previous seasons that had been spread out over the length of the contract.

Martin had $10.5 million of bonus hits for 2024 in addition to the base salary.

In restructuring the deal, Dallas still gives Martin his entire $18 million of salary, but they converted $16.25 million of that into a bonus while adding a third void year to his deal.

Void years are accounting tools NFL teams have that allow them to push cap allocations beyond the actual length of the deal. Martin now has four void years, from 2025 to 2028, on his deal totaling just under $23 million.

If no extension is worked out before next season, then all of the void year cap hits will be on the Cowboys’ 2025 cap as dead money.

For now, that $16.25 million restructure bonus, which will still be paid to Martin this season, is allocated evenly between the 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 cap amounts, at $3.25 million per year.

So Martin’s 2024 cap hit is now his new base salary, $1.75 million, his previous bonus allocation, $10.5 million, and the new restructure allocation of $3.25 million.

Now Martin’s 2024 cap hit is $15.5 million, saving the team $13 million in cap space while still paying Martin the exact same amount. With NFL salary caps going up every year, that $13 million takes up a lower percentage of future year’s caps, essentially giving the team greater spending power.

According to Over the Cap, Dallas is now $1.8 million under the cap.

 

Cowboys’ offensive line already accounts for almost 25% of ’24 salary cap

Following the money spent on the offensive line finds Dallas’ depth impressive but two big holes have to be filled. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Budgeting for the offensive line is not an easy task as this group, whose numbers normally hover around 10 every season, can consume a large portion of a team’s salary cap. Even when only one player is paid top dollar, the amount of money spent on linemen can be a burden based on sheer numbers. With so many teams across the league scrambling for viable options, Dallas has assembled a cast of young hopefuls that could provide depth for the next few years.

The Cowboys will need to address the starting left tackle position this offseason, and although the upcoming draft is full of options, bringing back Tyron Smith could be the smart play. So could an agreement with center Tyler Biadasz, who is slated to hit the open market for the first time in his career. Here’s a rundown of what is currenly on the ledger for the group going into 2024.

ESPN+: Prescott is 2023 MVP, 7 Cowboys make Walder’s top-100 ballot

The Cowboys have a ton of talent, and while it clearly doesn’t guarantee results when it matters, it is better than not having any. | From @KDDrummondNFL

ESPN’s Seth Walder is one of the finest analytical minds the football world has to offer. Walder is the face of metrics that help explain the why of what happens, such as pass-block win rates, double-team rates, motion-at-the-snap rates and others. He doesn’t do it by himself, of course, ESPN has a vast network of analytical guys and girls that pour hours into quantifying things beyond the eye test. Hopefully one day their work will be the driving force behind all of the talking-head opinions.

Haha. Still, in looking back on the 2023 regular season — it’s a shame the playoffs were totally cancelled this year and the NFL won’t return until September, right? Right?? — Walder has once again objected to the AP only going five deep when it comes to the MVP award. Instead, he rolls out his ballot that goes all the way to 100. Sitting atop the perch? Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.

Prescott was one of three Cowboys to land in Walder’s top-eight, and one of seven to make the rankings overall. Not a lot of solace with such a disappointing end to the season, but Dallas does have a ton of talent on their roster. While it clearly doesn’t guarantee results, it’s certainly better to have than not.

NFL Playoffs: Packers Blow Out Cowboys

The D stands for Done.

The NFL season came to an end for the Dallas Cowboys as “America’s Team” was embarrassed on their home field by the Green Bay Packers, 48-32.

Green Bay jumped out to a 27-0 lead before the Cowboys got on the scoreboard to end the first half.  It was on cruise control the rest of the way for the Packers.

The loss sends Dallas home after the Cowboys after they were fantastic in the regular season, winning the NFC East and securing the second seed in the NFC playoffs.

The loss also eliminates a pair of former Notre Dame players from postseason play.  Offensive guard Zack Martin and kicker Brandon Aubrey were both eliminated with the loss while Green Bay moved on without a former Golden Domer on the roster.

The Packers will play at San Francisco against the top-seeded 49ers next weekend with a spot in the NFC championship on the line.

9 Cowboys named to AP All-Pro teams, led by WR CeeDee Lamb

The Cowboys two best players didn’t make First-Team All-Pro, but the club leads the NFL in players on the 2023 roster. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys apparently have the most great players in the NFL in 2023. A league-high nine members of the club’s 53-man roster were named to the Associated Press’ All-Pro team following the conclusion of the regular season. The leading vote getter for the club was wideout CeeDee Lamb, who fell just one vote shy of being a unanimous selection.

The AP All-Pro team is comprised of the best players at their positions, regardless of conference. Much like the NFLPA All-Pro list revealed earlier in the week, the best Cowboys player on each side of the ball was not named to the First Team. Both quarterback Dak Prescott and edge rusher Micah Parsons have been named to the Second-Team.

Dallas finished with a 12-5 record, tied for the best in their conference while winning the NFC East for the second time in three years. Dallas finished with the same final record as the San Francisco 49ers, but due to a head-to-head loss in Week 5, are the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff bracket as the tournament is set to kick off. In a likely preview of the MVP voting to be announced in February, Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson took 45 of the 50 first-place votes for quarterback, with Prescott and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy getting two first-place votes each. Prescott had more overall votes than Purdy, earning the Second-Team honor.

The 49ers had seven players between the two teams with five First-Team players, including RB Christian McCaffrey and LB Fred Warner, who were unanimous choices.

Here’s a rundown of who made each from the Cowboys, as well as the full First and Second teams.

 

5 Cowboys make NFLPA All-Pro list, but 2 best players miss out

5 Cowboys players made the NFLPA list but left off quarterback Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons. | From @ArmyChiefW3

The NFLPA released its second annual All-Pro roster on Wednesday. It’s not to be confused with the AP All-Pro list that comes out later. This year’s selections included five members of the Dallas Cowboys.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith made the team on offense while cornerback DaRon Bland and kicker Brandon Aubrey made the list on their sides of the ball. Smith ended up in a tie with Cleveland guard Joel Bitoni, even though Smith did not make the initial Pro Bowl Roster.

As those players celebrate a great achievement, Cowboys fans will find it puzzling that their two most important players did not get selected. Quarterback Dak Prescott led the league in almost every statistical passing category yet was left off the first-team in favor of Lamar Jackson who threw for 12 fewer touchdowns and 841 fewer yards.

Jackson earning the best record in the NFL is apparently more of an indication of greatness than statistics are for an individual award.

Equally as puzzling was the decision to leave pass rusher Micah Parsons off the list as well. While it would be hard to argue against the case for Clevelands’ Myles Garrett, placing the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby over Parsons seems a bit questionable.

While Crosby registered 14.5 sacks compared to Parsons’s 14, the Dallas defender led the league in pressures with 103 compared to Crosby’s 94. According to PFF, Parsons had a higher overall grade, a higher pass rush grade, more quarterback hits and more quarterback hurries.

While a better record appears enough to overtake the quarterback discussion, it does nothing for a tightly-contested comparison among defenders.

Cowboys’ O-line ‘should be back full force’ in wild-card round after backups’ big day

From @ToddBrock24f7: Zack Martin and Tyler Smith are expected back for Sunday’s opening round of the playoffs, though T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman stepped up big.

The Cowboys found themselves without two-fifths of their preferred offensive line for Week 18’s regular-season finale. And even though the substitutes for Tyler Smith and Zack Martin filled in more than adequately in the team’s 38-10 victory to help claim the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, club management is optimistic that they’ll be getting the band back together for wild-card weekend.

“The line should be back full force and ready to go to start the playoffs,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told K&C Masterpiece Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “I feel really good about that, and I feel really good about Tyler being able to play against the Packers at AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon.”

Smith suffered a torn plantar fascia during Dallas’s Week 17 win over Detroit and missed Sunday’s game in Washington as a result. Rookie T.J. Bass filled in for Smith at left guard to close out last week’s win and got the start once again versus the Commanders after practicing in Smith’s spot all week.

“Before every game, when we’re shaking each other’s hands,” Bass explained late Sunday. “Zack says, ‘Stay ready. Make sure you’re ready. Stay ready.’ So that’s just a thing. And then all season, I’ve tried to be ready whenever my number’s called so I can get in there and there’s no dropoff.”

That’s the mentality of every O-lineman in the Cowboys locker room. But second-year man Brock Hoffman had to take over Martin’s position on very short notice, after the right guard fell ill Sunday morning.

Despite the late switch, the Commanders did not register a sack- or even a QB hit on Dak Prescott- the entire afternoon.

“That’s B.T.B.: Big-Time Brock,” Prescott said in his postgame press conference. “So proud of that guy. He’s kind of an enforcer in that group, a guy that has a lot of attitude, huge passion for this game, wears it every day- you can see it- approaches the game the right way, understanding that he’s one sickness away from playing.”

Hoffman, in fact, had filled in for Tyler Biadasz during the week’s practices when seasonal illness hit the center. Biadasz was better by gameday, but instead of returning to benchwarmer duty, Hoffman was tapped to start at right guard for Martin with only about two hours’ notice.

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“I think it was just a great performance: two young guys- college free agents- stepping up,” Jones raved Monday. “[Offensive line] Coach [Mike] Solari’s done an amazing job getting those guys prepared. Jerry and I were talking to him before the game, and he had complete confidence, not only in T.J. Bass but also Hoffman. They just stepped up and did a great job. I felt like Dak had time most of the game. It’s great to know you have those young guys coming in your organization.”

Bass and Hoffman figure to step back into their customary second-stringer roles for this Sunday’s wild-card showdown with the Packers and the rest of what the club hopes will be a long postseason run. But the live-fire experience both have gained heading into the playoffs will certainly serve them and team well, if needed.

No doubt, they’ll “stay ready.”

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Notre Dame in NFL: Dallas Cowboys win NFC East

Cowboys are rolling – how far will they go this post season?

The Dallas Cowboys rolled the Washington Commanders 38-10 on Sunday and in doing so were crowned champions of the NFC East for the 2023 season.

A pair of former Notre Dame players starred for the Cowboys this season and will represent Dallas at the Pro Bowl later this year.

Brandon Aubrey, a former Notre Dame soccer player was perfect in field goal tries for Dallas this season, going 35-of-35 including a perfect 9-for-9 mark from beyond 50-yards before missing two of his field goal attempts in Sunday’s victory.

On the offensive line Zack Martin showed he was worth every penny of his massive contract from earlier this year in helped protect Dak Prescott in what was perhaps the quarterback’s best year to date.

The Cowboys win secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs that begin next weekend.

7 Cowboys whose contracts must be reworked, restructured, or extended in 2024

The Cowboys’ best players all have contracts which need addressing, as do some other veterans for various reasons. Includes a projection of CeeDee Lamb’s new deal. | From @KDDrummondNFL

With the end of the regular season occurring over the next 72 hours, 18 teams are going to be closing up shop for the year. Technically contracts across the league don’t expire until the start of the new year, but for all intents and purposes, the season is over when it comes to the bulk of the majority of player contracts. There are several players who have playoff incentives tied to their base salaries, but those base salaries are paid across the 18 weeks of the regular season. A playoff share is spread across rosters based on how far each team goes.

For the Dallas Cowboys, this technically means that it’s time to start examining the contract situation they will face in 2024. We’ve already covered the teams long list of impact free agents. This happens annually with Dallas as they are a team that has done an excellent job of acquiring talent through the draft. Now, let’s look at the players who are currently under contract for 2024, but where their current salary isn’t ideal.

This is a two-way street. Some players are well deserving of an extension while others either have too big of a cap hit or make too little of an impact to be paid they way they are supposed to be. Check out the seven players who will need to have some things adjusted before the free agency frenzy of early March.

  • Prescott
  • Gallup
  • Lamb
  • Zack
  • Diggs
  • Tank
  • Micah