Dallas Cowboys guard and nine-time Pro Bowler Zack Martin announced on February 20th that he is retiring after 11 seasons, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo.
During his illustrious career, Martin earned First-Team All-Pro honors seven times and Second-Team All-Pro honors twice. He was also one of four guards named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
“Once the resident ironman in Dallas, Martin logged a total of 152 starts in the 10 seasons preceding 2024, when he went down with a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery to repair; and it was then that Martin disclosed it as a degenerative condition he’d been managing for years to remain available for the Cowboys while still performing at an elite level,” writes DallasCowboys.com staff writer Patrik Walker. “Replacing Martin will be impossible, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, but it’s a task now facing the Cowboys.”
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The best Zack Martin statistics
- Zack Martin will retire with more career All-Pro selections than accepted holding penalties called against him.
- He played 11 seasons in the NFL, nine of which he was completely healthy for. In all nine of those healthy seasons, he was named either a First-Team or Second-Team All-Pro.
- After being drafted in 2014, Martin became the first rookie offensive lineman to be named a First-Team All-Pro since 1947.
- During the 2019-20 season, he became the fourth offensive lineman ever to make six straight Pro Bowls to start his career.
Zack Martin retires from the NFL with more All-Pro selections (9) than accepted holding penalties (7).
What a stat. What a career. 👏 https://t.co/2ADSKY0R5S pic.twitter.com/93lkgFRwoP
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 20, 2025
How does Dallas replace Zack Martin?
I don’t know if the Cowboys can actually replace the production they got from Martin. The guy was an absolute beast along the offensive line and one of the best guards in the NFL every season he was healthy. Whoever comes in to be Dallas’ new right guard will almost certainly be compared to Martin right away, which will make the task of playing offensive line for the Cowboys that much more daunting.
Dallas has a few different options regarding a succession plan for the future Hall of Famer. 25-year-old center Brock Hoffman was tasked with filling in for Martin after he was forced to miss the last seven games of the season due to the aforementioned ankle injury. 2022 first-round pick Tyler Smith could also move from the left side of the line to the right side and be Martin’s successor. Second-year pro T.J. Bass is another offensive lineman who could play right guard since he has filled in for Martin in the past.
It’s also possible that Martin’s replacement isn’t even on the roster right now. The Cowboys could choose to look for their next right guard in free agency. If Dallas isn’t worried about age, then Brandon Scherff could be worth signing this off-season as a five-time Pro Bowler. If the ‘Boys can lure Patrick Mekari away from Baltimore, the 27-year-old could fill in at the right guard spot for years to come.
Dallas might also want to consider building their offensive line through the draft. After all, that’s how they found Zack Martin. Sitting at the 12-spot, they’ll likely have their pick of interior offensive linemen. I could see Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson or Alabama’s Tyler Booker receiving a draft day call from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
