The final piece of The Great Wall of Dallas II has nearly eroded

I feel like nearly every article over the past week or so has started off with me mentioning the myriad injuries the Dallas Cowboys have been forced to overcome this season. QB Dak Prescott’s arrival on injured reserve was just the cherry on top of a sour injury cupcake for 2024.

Here is the list of players who have missed a game this season due to injury:

QB Dak Prescott (IR)

LT Tyler Guyton

LG Tyler Smith

RG Zack Martin (IR)

WR Brandin Cooks

TE Jake Ferguson

DE Sam Williams (IR)

DE Marshawn Kneeland

DE DeMarcus Lawrence

LB Eric Kendricks

CB Trevon Diggs

CB DaRon Bland

CB Caelen Carson (IR)

CB Josh Butler (IR)

S Juanyeh Thomas

This list shows heavy blows for the team, but specifically to the defensive side of the ball. The defensive end and cornerback rooms have been hit the heaviest. That probably explains why the defense has looked better since Kneeland, Parsons, Diggs, and Bland have returned to the lineup.

On the offensive side of the ball, the hits keep on coming for the Cowboys. He is listed above, but RG Zack Martin is headed to injured reserve, and it may be the last time we see him in uniform.

Martin has not looked like himself this season, and he has admitted that he is dealing with various injuries. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that a right guard who has started nearly every game since being drafted in 2014 would have aches and pains.

The most dominant right guard the Cowboys have ever seen suit up for them is the final piece of what we call The Great Wall of Dallas II. Let’s take a look back at that dominant unit, and where they are now.

LT Tyron Smith

The Cowboys seem to reload on franchise left tackles every decade or so, and Tyron Smith was the latest draft pick to take on that role after being the 9th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

By the time 2014 rolled around, Smith had just earned his first Pro Bowl and 2nd team All-Pro nods of his career. In the 2014-2016 window, he added another three Pro Bowls, another 2nd team All-Pro, and the only two 1st team All-Pro nods of his career.

Smith protected Tony Romo’s blindside until 2015, and then turned the page to keep Dak Prescott’s jersey clean until he moved on to the New York Jets as a free agent this season. He is now on injured reserve for the remainder of the regular season.

LG Ronald Leary/La’el Collins

There were two left guards in the 2014-2016 window, and I feel it necessary to mention both of them. Ronald Leary helped pave the way for DeMarco Murray’s 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014 before losing his job to a rookie La’el Collins.

Leary arrived in Dallas as an undrafted free agent because of a degenerative knee condition that caused teams to pass on him despite his 3rd round grade. He was an integral part of the offensive line in those years.

Collins was a 1st round talent who went undrafted because of murder charges swirling around him that ended up being unfounded. It was Christmas in April for the Cowboys, who had no trouble adding Collins to their already dominant offensive line.

The LSU product was the enforcer on the line, sticking up for late hits on Romo or Prescott, and often getting into scuffles with opposing players.

Leary has since retired, and Collins was released by the Cowboys after the 2021 season and has not played in a regular season game since 2022.

C Travis Frederick

There have been some great players at the center position for the Cowboys like Mark Stepnoski and Ray Donaldson, but none of them compare to the cerebral ability of Travis Frederick.

Frederick was a controversial 1st round pick by the Cowboys in the 2013 NFL Draft, and was the second piece to be added to The Great Wall of Dallas II after Smith in 2011.

During the 2014-2016 run, Frederick made the Pro Bowl in each season and earned All-Pro honors in all three years as well. He has since retired due to Guillain-Barré syndrome, and remains the greatest center to wear the uniform for the Dallas Cowboys.

RG Zack Martin

Zack Martin is the only member of The Great Wall of Dallas II to still be with the team in any capacity. Martin was the Cowboys’ 1st round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and immediately stepped in to elevate the offensive line to another level.

Martin helped pave the way for Murray’s franchise-record-setting season, and he then did the same for Ezekiel Elliott two years later. If he doesn’t suit up for the Cowboys again, Martin will be remembered as one of the most dominant guards to ever suit up for the Cowboys.

The only comparison is Larry Allen, and to be mentioned in the same vein as him is a compliment in itself.

RT Doug Free

Manning the right tackle position during the 2014-2016 period was veteran Doug Free. Free was a reliable player who didn’t stand out as a superstar, but he didn’t make mistakes and helped keep Romo and Prescott out of the dirt.

Free was a 4th round pick of the Cowboys in the 2007 NFL Draft, and was actually the most tenured player on The Great Wall of Dallas II. He transitioned to right tackle when Smith was drafted, and can say he had a successful career.

He announced his retirement from the NFL after the 2016 season and 10 seasons under his belt.