The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is clearly missing Zack Martin, even if Saturday’s performance would have been the same even if the guard wasn’t holding out. Martin is seeking a pay raise after completing his eighth Pro Bowl and sixth All-Pro season in nine years in the league. He has two years remaining on his contract, but is barely in the top-10 of interior linemen salaries across the league.
On Saturday, he missed the club’s opening preseason game, but as the star veteran he is, he wasn’t going to suit up anyway. Still, the performance of his potential replacements only adds to the narrative that Martin deserves what he’s asking for. On Sunday, his holdout reached a huge milestone that even if only symbolic, helps to show just how serious the riff is currently.