HEADLINES

Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

Cowboys To Extend S Malik Hooker

August 4th, 2023 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys re-signed Donovan Wilson to solidify their safety position. Months later, they are making another commitment. Former first-round pick Malik Hooker agreed to an extension to stay in Dallas on Friday.

Hooker agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $24MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The contract includes $16.5MM guaranteed, which features an $8MM signing bonus to be paid within the next 15 days. This agreement will tie Hooker to the Cowboys through the 2026 season.

Having been previously tied to a two-year deal worth $7MM, Hooker has secured an elusive payday. These terms appear in line with the pacts given to the non-Jessie Bates wing of safeties in this year’s free agent class. Wilson and Juan Thornhill received $7MM-per-year deals, while Vonn Bell signed for $7.5MM per year with the Panthers. Jimmie Ward ($6.5MM AAV) and Jordan Poyer ($6.25MM) came in just south of that, with the Seahawks and Raiders respectively giving Julian Love and Marcus Epps two-year, $12MM accords.

Hooker has gone from the lowest-paid member of Dallas’ safety trio to the highest-paid, guarantee-wise. It is not yet known how Hooker’s AAV stacks up here, but his $16.5MM guarantee tops all the above-referenced safeties. Wilson signed for $13.5MM guaranteed. The Cowboys now have three safeties — Wilson, Hooker and Jayron Kearse — signed to veteran contracts south of $10MM per year, making this an interesting all-middle-class trio at the position. Kearse is signed to a two-year, $10MM contract.

This is a long time coming for Hooker, whom the Colts selected with the 15th overall pick in 2017. He came into his rookie year after an injury, and a September 2020 Achilles tear ended up concluding his Colts tenure. Indianapolis moved on after Hooker’s rookie deal, having passed on his fifth-year option prior to that injury occurring. Hooker had missed 15 games from 2017-19, having suffered a torn ACL in October 2017. This Cowboys stay has rebuilt the one-time top prospect’s value.

Hooker, 27, has missed just three games since initially signing with the Cowboys — on a one-year, $920K deal in July 2021 — and has helped the team build a strong safety foundation. Once regularly connected to Earl Thomas, the Cowboys now have three proven defenders at the position. Pro Football Focus ranked all three of Dallas’ safeties in the top 30 last season. Hooker (13th) led the way, playing 861 defensive snaps despite starting just six games. Using a bevy of three-safety looks, the Cowboys saw Hooker intercept three passes and make 62 tackles last season.

The Cowboys came into training camp with lofty extension goals. Hooker’s name did not appear on this marquee, with CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele being Dallas’ top extension targets. Diggs has signed a five-year, $97MM extension. The Cowboys have Lamb signed through 2024, via the fifth-year option, but have Steele heading into a contract year. Several weeks still remain for the Cowboys to find common ground there, however. Zack Martin remains a camp holdout, though Jerry Jones did not indicate a deal is coming for the future Hall of Fame guard.

Cowboys Unlikely To Re-Sign Ezekiel Elliott?

August 1st, 2023 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

As most teams’ training camps head into their second week, Ezekiel Elliott remains unsigned. The two-time rushing champion has been connected to a few teams, but his main connection is not generating momentum.

The Cowboys saw offseason pickup Ronald Jones incur a two-game suspension Monday, and they are otherwise thin on experience behind Tony Pollard. But Elliott does not look to be in the Cowboys’ current plans, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill, who notes a reunion with the longtime starter is not a consideration at this point.

[RELATED: Cowboys Offered Pollard Long-Term Deal]

Mike McCarthy said the team does not want Elliott to take reps from its younger collection of backups. Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle and 5-foot-6 sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn comprise that contingent. With Jones not exactly a lock to make the team regardless of his suspension, the Cowboys will be closely monitoring the progress of the aforementioned trio.

McCarthy’s comments regarding the backfield, however, came as Jerry Jones once again (via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins) left the door open to a Zeke-Cowboys reunion. The prospect of the Cowboys bringing Elliott back at a significantly reduced rate surfaced in March, and the topic came up after the draft in April and again in June.

“I’ve been very consistent,” Jones said. “We’re just kind of see how it plays and we’re certainly haven’t closed the door. I wouldn’t know right now, what adjustments we might make, but just working ahead I don’t want to rule it out.”

Elliott, 28, has visited the Patriots. Prior to meeting with Elliott, Bill Belichick consulted Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. Belichick contacted Jones for a reference of sorts. The Patriots have looked into Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson but have not made an addition. They have also discussed a meeting with Dalvin Cook, but as of now, the Jets have secured the only summit with the top back available. Cook may be zeroing in on the Jets, though with no deal agreed to, the Pats and Dolphins still have time to up their offers.

While Elliott has undeniably slowed down since his initial NFL breakthrough, he still matched Pollard’s 12 touchdowns last season and has frequently generated praise from Jerry Jones. But the former No. 4 overall pick has logged 2,186 touches — 309 more than any other active back. Elliott did well to fetch that six-year, $90MM extension from the Cowboys in 2019. Playing four years on the deal gave him vital security. Although the Ohio State product may well have a chance to play an eighth season soon, this year’s grim running back developments do not have teams eager to add him.

The Cowboys growing dissatisfied with the Davis-Dowdle-Vaughn group as camp progresses could reopen a door for Elliott, considering how many times the topic of a reunion has come up this since the March separation.

Injury Notes: Zylstra, Cowboys, Giants, Kancey

July 31st, 2023 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Shane Zylstra will likely miss the upcoming season thanks to a knee injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Lions tight end suffered a “serious and significant” knee injury that will keep him off the field for six months.

Rapoport notes that Zylstra is set to undergo more tests “but there isn’t a lot of optimism.” As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweets, the tight end suffered the injury while taking a “low shot” during a red zone drill.

Zylstra emerged as one of Jared Goff‘s favorite red zone targets in 2022. The tight end finished the season with only 11 catches for 60 yards, but four of those receptions were touchdowns. The Minnesota State product had another three catches during his rookie campaign.

Fortunately for Detroit, the team has some depth at tight end. The organization used a second-round pick on Sam LaPorta, and the rookie is expected to slide right into the starting lineup. The team is also rostering the likes of Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Derrick Deese.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

  • A bruised toe has kept Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs off the practice field, Mike McCarthy told reporters (via Jon Machota of The Athletic on Twitter). The injury isn’t serious, and it sounds like the coaching staff is simply playing it safe with the star defender. Elsewhere in Dallas, tight end Luke Schoonmaker revealed that he’s dealing with a partial tear of his plantar fascia (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News on Twitter). The rookie said the injury is more challenging to deal with than a complete tear, but the player is still hopeful he’ll be able to return to the practice field in a week or two.
  • It sounds like Giants backup offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer is set to miss a significant chunk of the upcoming season, if not the entire campaign. Coach Brian Daboll told reporters that Hassenauer injured his triceps and will require surgery (via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News on Twitter). The lineman is expected to be sidelined “long term.” Second-round rookie John Michael Schmitz is expected to lead the depth chart, but Hassenauer’s injury could open opportunities for Jack Anderson and Shane Lemieux.
  • There was a scare at Buccaneers practice today when first-round defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was carted off the field with a leg injury. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that an MRI showed nothing serious, but the Buccaneers may still take it easy on the rookie so he’s ready to go for the start of the season. Per ESPN’s Jenna Laine, the Buccaneers organization had been thrilled with Kancey’s preparation for his first professional season. “He’s adapting to the scheme mentally, and then he was adding his physical part to it,” coach Todd Bowles said (via Laine). “He’s putting it together quicker than normal rookies do. So hopefully it’s not that bad and he can get back.”
  • Texans fullback Troy Hairston was carted off the field today with an undisclosed injury, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston (via Twitter). The former edge rusher went undrafted out of Central Michigan last year but caught on with the Texans. He changed positions to fullback and beat out Andy Janovich for the starting gig, resulting in Hairston getting into 16 games for the Texans last season.

Cowboys RB Ronald Jones Issued Two-Game Suspension

July 31st, 2023 at 4:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys’ running back depth chart will be thinned out to begin the season. Ronald Jones received a two-game suspension on Monday, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Field Yates.

The NFL announced that the ban was handed down due to a PED violation. That will cost Jones two weeks of pay, and make him ineligible to join Dallas’ active roster until Week 3. He is able to remain with the team during practices and the preseason, though today’s news will certainly not help his chances of surviving roster cuts in advance of the season.

The 25-year-old signed a one-year deal not long after Ezekiel Elliott was released. That opened the door to the former earning the backup role behind Tony Pollard, but Jones saw very limited usage in 2022. He spent the season with the Chiefs, receiving only 18 total carries. Despite dressing for Kansas City’s Super Bowl victory, he was not used during the title game. That hurt his value on the open market, one which has seen a number of experienced backs struggle to find long-term commitments.

The former second-rounder spent his first four seasons in Tampa Bay, but he never saw more than 192 carries in a single season. His largest workload came in 2020, when he posted career-highs in rushing yards (978), touchdowns (seven) and efficiency (5.1 yards per carry). His 309 receiving yards from the previous campaign demonstrated his abilities as a pass-catcher, but Leonard Fournette operated as the Buccaneers’ lead back for each of the past two seasons.

The (at least temporary) loss of Jones will test Dallas’ backfield depth. Pollard – who received the $10.1MM franchise tag after turning down at least one multi-year offer from the team – is in line to operate as the focal point of the Cowboys’ ground game. Not much experience is in place behind, him, though, and sixth-round rookie Deuce Vaughn could be in line for a notable role. Of course, a signing could come about as a result of today’s news.

A slew of veteran backs are still on the open market, including Elliott (with whom a Cowboys reunion has not been entirely ruled out), Fournette, Kareem Hunt and J.D. McKissic. How much interest Dallas shows in making a move at the RB spot will be worth watching in the coming days.

Latest On Cowboys G Zack Martin’s Holdout

July 29th, 2023 at 5:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Year in, year out Cowboys guard Zack Martin is a top-ten offensive guard in the league. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), up until last year, Martin was a perennial top-five guard in the NFL, more often than not ending up in the top two. Years ago, when he signed an extension with the team, he got paid like the top guard he was. But years later, after multiple reworked deals and the rising contracts of younger guards, Martin has been unhappy with his compensation, leading to the holdout he is currently staging.

Despite Martin’s persistence in holding out, Cowboys owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones doesn’t seem interested at all in adjusting Martin’s deal in a way that rewards him for performing at the top of his position. He dropped two sounds bites today, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic, explaining why he doesn’t plan on taking any action. The first put the blame on star defender Micah Parsons. Jones claimed that the team will “need the money to pay” other players like Parsons in the future. The second sound bite claimed he already got his reward five years ago.

“Nothing,” Jones said in response to what needed to happen in order to resolve the situation. “He’ll come to camp when he comes to camp. There’s no resolution. There are a lot of consequences if he doesn’t.” The consequences that Jones is referring to are the daily $50K fines that Martin incurs with each missed day at training camp. So far, Martin has racked up $250K of fines.

“He’s been at the top of the money all the way through,” Jones claimed, “drafted high and got a lot of money, got a lot of money over the years. It’s just hard to get it all. The bottom line is: nothing needs to happen.”

Currently, Martin’s contract gives him the eighth-highest annual average value (AAV) at his position. Yes, he makes a lot of money as the eight-highest paid offensive guard in the NFL, but after delivering as a top player at the position for so long, one could argue he’s severely underpaid. Martin is only set to make $13.5MM this year as two other guards in the league have contracts with AAVs of over $20MM.

Jones claims he’s worried that caving in to Martin’s demands will put him in a situation in which he can’t pay anyone else, according to Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News. “You make an adjustment like that, all of the sudden, you don’t have the money to go pay the guys that are in their first contract that you need to pay.” It’s unclear whether Jones has learned from the mistakes made in the Ezekiel Elliott contract, or if he has just ironically forgotten his own past actions, but these comments are antithetical to his own previous transactions.

This is one of two recent outbursts we’ve seen from team owners of players who are upset with their contract situations. In both instances, the owners seem to think they’re in the right, falling back on bargaining agreements and “how things are done.” In the process, they seem to be alienating the best players on their rosters. Jones very well may end up saving money by not adjusting Martin’s deal, but he may end up losing one of the best guards in the NFL in the process.

NFC East Notes: Barnett, OL, Cowboys, Giants

July 28th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Derek Barnett is coming off a season that ended one game in due to an ACL tear. The Eagles also used a first-round pick on edge rusher Nolan Smith, crowding their depth chart. Barnett remains on the roster, but the team has since reached a pay-cut agreement with the former first-round pick. Barnett agreed to reduce his base salary from $7.5MM to $3.5MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, noting that the $3.5MM figure will be guaranteed. That marks a bump in guarantees from Barnett’s previous locked-in number for this season ($1.5MM), but the max value of the new deal is $6MM — down $2.5MM from its previous number.

Barnett signed a two-year, $14MM deal to stay with the Eagles in 2022. Even though the team has since re-signed Brandon Graham and drafted Smith to join a group housing Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat, Barnett’s contract should give him a decent chance to stay on the team. Due to the void years the Eagles included in his deal, a release would lead to a $12.7MM dead-money charge. Should the 27-year-old defensive end indeed make the 53-man roster, this will be his seventh season in Philly.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

  • In a bit of news that might prove relevant re: Joe Burrow, the Cowboys are going to be without one of their starting safeties for a stretch. Donovan Wilson suffered a calf strain that ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes could sideline him for 4-6 weeks (Twitter link). Wilson, who re-signed with Dallas this offseason, still has a chance to return in time for the opener. After years with questions at safety, the Cowboys — when at full strength — have a nice setup with Wilson, Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse.
  • The Cowboys did not use void years in Trevon Diggs‘ five-year, $97MM extension, and the cornerback’s cap number will vault from $5.8MM to $16.3MM from 2023 to 2024. Additionally, Archer notes Diggs’ 2025 base salary ($9MM) will become guaranteed in March of that year (Twitter link). Should this deal not pan out, that March trigger gives the Cowboys an escape hatch of sorts. They can cut bait for $12.8MM in dead money in 2025.
  • While the Eagles will provide Cam Jurgens with some competition — from third-round rookie Tyler Steen — Zach Berman of The Athletic notes the 2022 second-rounder is the frontrunner to replace Isaac Seumalo at right guard (subscription required). Jurgens is viewed as the Jason Kelce heir apparent, a title that briefly belonged to now-LG starter Landon Dickerson, but his 2023 place is at guard. Steen is attempting to convert from a college tackle, having started outside at Vanderbilt and Alabama. Jurgens played just 35 offensive snaps as a rookie, working behind the Dickerson-Seumalo-Kelce trio.
  • On the subject of positional frontrunners, it looks like the Giants‘ inside linebacker spot alongside Bobby Okereke is Darrian Beavers‘ to lose. Now that Jarrad Davis is on IR, the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy offers that Beavers is favored to win the job over fellow 2022 draftee Micah McFadden. Beavers was informed Tuesday he would have the first crack at the job, Dunleavy adds. Because Beavers suffered a torn ACL during the preseason last year, McFadden — a fifth-round pick — started seven games. A sixth-rounder, Beavers will have a chance to turn his offseason rehab into a starting role.
  • The Giants also recently worked out linebackers Nick Vigil and Sam Eguavoen, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Big Blue, which worked out Deion Jones this spring, also recently placed linebacker Elerson Smith on IR. Vigil is a seven-year veteran with 53 starts — for the Bengals, Chargers, Vikings and Cardinals — on his resume. Eguavoen spent the past four seasons with the Dolphins.
  • Offseason Giants signee Rakeem Nunez-Roches suffered a concussion in a car accident this week, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets. The accident occurred when the veteran defensive lineman was leaving the team facility. No other injuries emerged from the crash. Nunez-Roches accompanied A’Shawn Robinson as veteran D-linemen to join the Giants in free agency.

Jones: Cowboys Submitted Long-Term Offer To RB Tony Pollard

July 27th, 2023 at 9:51am CST by Sam Robinson

Receiving far less attention than the other two running backs hit with the franchise tag this year, Tony Pollard signed his tender early and has been with the Cowboys this offseason. After not reaching an extension agreement before the July 17 deadline, Pollard will be attached to the $10.1MM tag salary this season.

The Cowboys are not believed to have engaged in serious negotiations with Pollard, but executive VP Stephen Jones confirms (via the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken) the team submitted an offer. Jones said the team made Pollard a long-term proposal, but it is unknown if the dual-threat back gave serious consideration to accepting it.

Not averse to seeing players spend seasons on the tag, the Cowboys also made a multiyear offer to Dalton Schultz. That proposal was believed to be a longer-term deal than the 2022 tag recipient preferred, though Schultz joined Dolphins 2022 franchise player Mike Gesicki in not doing well on this year’s open market. After being tagged at $10.9MM last year, Schultz signed a one-year deal worth $6.25MM (with the Texans) in March. The Cowboys also saw DeMarcus Lawrence (2018) and Dak Prescott (2020) play on the tag. Both players eventually signed extensions.

Jones did not confirm Pollard is firmly in the team’s long-term plans, but unlike Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs, the former fourth-round pick does not have significant tread on his tires. Ezekiel Elliott‘s former backup has only logged 510 career carries, along with 121 receptions, in four seasons. The Cowboys depended on Pollard last year — a season in which the former fourth-round pick totaled 1,378 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns — and will rely on him again in 2023, assuming his recovery from a broken leg and high ankle sprain finishes smoothly.

The team has higher priorities on the extension front. Trevon Diggs just signed an extension that pays him top-five money at his position. CeeDee Lamb‘s eventual payout will cost the Cowboys more, and the team has Terence Steele on its extension docket as well. Perennial All-Pro Zack Martin is also waging a holdout.

Considering where the RB market went this offseason, Pollard residing in limbo does not separate him from most of the other standouts at his position. The Cowboys can re-tag Pollard at 120% of his 2023 salary. The team went to this well with Lawrence in 2019, and the talented defensive end signed an extension that offseason.

Pollard, 26, signing his franchise tag locks him into that $10.1MM amount this year. As they did with Prescott in 2021, the Cowboys can also reach an extension agreement with Pollard that keeps him off the market next year. The team must wait until January to resume talks, however.

Cowboys, Trevon Diggs Agree To Extension

July 25th, 2023 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

5:10pm: Providing an update to the max value of the pact, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets that is it actually $100MM, rather than $104MM. While that lowers Diggs’ ceiling slightly, he is still assured of a signficant windfall through this deal. ESPN’s Todd Archer notes that the extension includes $43.2MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link).

2:28pm: The Cowboys have taken care of an important piece of business with one of their top young players. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has agreed to terms on a five-year, $97MM extension (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero).

Pelissero adds that the contract has a maximum value of $104MM, and that Diggs will receive a signing bonus of $21.25MM. The 24-year-old is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, so today’s deal means he will now be on the books through 2028 as one of the league’s highest-paid corners.

The $19.4MM annual base value of the pact matches that of the Saints’ Marshon Lattimore. By reaching incentives, Diggs will be able to join the three-member CB group which averages over $20MM in annual compensation. His three-year tenure in Dallas has established himself as one of the league’s top ballhawks, and the team has recognized that with this deal.

Diggs has racked up 17 interceptions in his career, including a league-leading 11 in 2021. His ball production has resulted in 49 pass deflections as well, making him an obvious candidate for a lucrative pact. The Alabama product earned a second straight Pro Bowl nod last season, despite his coverage statistics taking a step back from what they were in his first two years.

The former second-rounder was named as one of the up-and-coming producers the Cowboys intended to extend ahead of training camp. To no surprise, they have worked out a deal just in time for camp to open up, and Diggs can be penciled in for a continued starting role opposite trade acquisition Stephon Gilmore in the short-term, and as an anchor of Dallas’ secondary for years beyond that.

Wideout CeeDee Lamb and right tackle Terence Steele are also names to watch with respect to new deals being worked out in the near future. The former is on the books through next season via the fifth-year option, which likely helps explain why Diggs’ deal has been worked out first. The team’s corner room has its leader in place for the long-term future as a result. While the Cowboys have a more complicated situation on their hands with one of their veteran leaders, a member of the team’s young core has been rewarded with multi-year stability.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/23

July 25th, 2023 at 7:43pm CST by Ben Levine

With a number of teams preparing for the start of training camp, a long list of players were placed on inactive lists today. We’ve compiled all of those and today’s other minor moves below:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Free Agents

Isaiah Wilson hasn’t had an NFL gig since he was released by the Giants in January of 2022. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the free agent lineman was slapped with a three-game suspension, but it’s uncertain what led to the temporary ban. Wilson was a first-round pick by the Titans in 2020 but got into only one game with Tennessee before getting shipped off to Miami. He was waived by Miami after showing up late to his team physical, and his practice squad stint with New York only lasted one season.

Max Garcia is an experienced addition to the Saints OL room, with the veteran having most recently started seven of his 12 appearances with the Cardinals in 2022. The 31-year-old has 59 games of starting experience, although Pro Football Focus was iffy on his production last year (63rd among 77 qualifying offensive guards).

Following a three-year stint in Cleveland, Terrance Mitchell has spent the past two seasons bouncing around the NFL. He got into 14 games (13 starts) for the Texans in 2021, finishing with 60 tackles and 10 passes defended. He spent the 2022 season with the Titans, finishing with 39 tackles in 11 games (five starts). 49ers fifth-round pick Darrell Luter Jr. is set to miss some time with a knee injury, providing Mitchell with an opportunity during training camp.

Zack Martin Not In Attendance At Cowboys’ Training Camp

July 25th, 2023 at 1:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

In a development which at this point comes as little surprise, the Cowboys’ offensive line will not be at full strength as training camp begins. Zack Martin is not with the team, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Multiple reports indicated yesterday that the six-time All-Pro guard did not board the team’s flight to Oxnard, California for camp. That decision comes after it was learned recently that Martin was unsatisfied with his contract status, and the team’s lack of desire to engage in talks on adjustments to his deal other than restructures. That position left open the possibility of a hold out.

Martin, 32, is now subject to daily mandatory fines while he remains absent. His current deal averages $14MM per season, a figure which ranks him outside the top five amongst all NFL guards. That makes his desire for an extension understandable, but with two years remaining on the pact it is likewise easy to see why Dallas has shown little interest in working out a raise.

The former first-rounder delivered another strong season in 2022 and added an eighth Pro Bowl to his resume. He remained durable in the process, suiting up for all 17 regular season games and each of Dallas’ playoff contests. Over the course of his nine-year career, Martin has only missed eight games, helping make him a foundational member of the team’s offense throughout his tenure with the Cowboys.

Dallas has Matt Farniok and Josh Ball in place as options to replace Martin at the RG spot during his absence. Ball saw considerable time there during spring practices, so he may be the favorite for first-team reps until Martin returns. The Cowboys already have an unsettled situation at left guard, owing in large part to the uncertainty of where All-Pro Tyron Smith and 2021 first-rounder Tyler Smith will be used.

The latter two, along with Martin, are certainly amongst the team’s best five linemen. Barring a sudden change in approach on the Cowboys’ part, however, it may be quite some time until each of them are in place together in the build-up to the campaign.

Load More Posts