This is the Cowboys’ lineman who should replace Zack Martin

As expected, Zack Martin officially retired earlier this month.

As he walked off the field for the final time in 2024, late in the loss to the Houston Texans, with an ankle injury, it was almost assuredly going to be the last time he saw the field in 2024.

As it turns out, it was the last time he saw the field for his career. He would miss the last seven games of the season.

For Martin, it was a sad end to a stellar 11-year career that saw him start all 162 games he played in at right guard.

He had only missed 11 games in his previous 10 seasons.

Martin finished with three fumble recoveries and just seven holding calls and eight false start flags thrown in his direction over 11 seasons.

He finished with nine All-Pro selections, two more than the accepted holding callas and one more than the accepted false starts.

That’s probably going to be a hard record to top.

After Martin went down for the season, Brock Hoffman stepped in to replace him. The Cowboys may have discovered the 21st Century’s Conrad Dobler.

Hoffman became a beast as a run blocker and seemed all too willing to hit opponents as hard as he could.

And then tell them all about it afterward, with his mouth and his hands at some points.

His play inspired others on the line and the Cowboys’ running game actually stepped it up a notch after he became a starter.

Originally an undrafted free agent signed by the Browns in 2022, the Cowboys signed him to their practice squad in Nov. 2022 and gave him a two-year contract for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

He is an Exclusive Rights Free Agent this year, which means it appears likely he’ll be back in Dallas. That’s a good thing.

Hoffman had one tackle and three accepted penalties in his seven starts in 17 games played.

He had one penalty each for unnecessary roughness, holding, and a false start.

Roster Review 2025: Zack Martin/Brock Hoffman. This is Part 18 of a series. Click here for a list of all related articles.

Outlook For 2025

Martin will join an ever-growing list of Dallas Cowboys players that played their entire career in Dallas with even making it to a conference title game, much less a Super Bowl.

DeMarcus Ware barely avoided this fate by heading to Denver and teamed up with Peyton Manning to finally capture his ring.

Hoffman, as mentioned above, will be back. Unless some other team comes in and throws an insane offer on the table.

That is a possibility, especially if any of the other 31 GMs in the NFL were paying attention.

A huge offer might run off Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ front office, even with the expanded salary cap offering more money to work with in 2025.

But if Jones is smart, Hoffman will be out there opening up holes for whoever the Cowboys decide will be their starting running back this season.

Long-Term Outlook

Martin is almost certainly a lock to make the Ring of Honor and the Hall of Fame in Canton in minimum time. If he isn’t a first ballot inductee, then we need to call jihad on the Hall voters.

Not even the lack of a Super Bowl appearance can tarnish Martin’s career legacy.

As for Hoffman, his being an ERFA this spring pretty much assures he’ll be in Dallas for 2025.

If he continues to play the way he did in 2024, that should result in a longer-termed contract. Could he become the next Zack Martin?

Very possibly.

He won’t have the fewer penalties than All-Pro selections mark that Martin has. Hoffman’s aggressive style will draw many more personal foul flags, but he could be a rock at right guard for several years.

That’s something the Cowboys desperately need starting this season and for many more years to come.