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The Dallas Cowboys are facing substantial change this offseason, with former offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, taking over from the departed Mike McCarthy as head coach.
And with 8 starters set to hit free agency in March, the team will likely look significantly different in 2025.
Zack Martin Set To Retire From Football After 11 Years
Well….make that 7 starters, as one prominent starter, who was thought to be heading to free agency, or perhaps re-signing with the team, is now retiring, per Tom Pelissero.
As a result, Dallas have a Zack Martin-sized hole to fill in their offensive line, one that is currently being filled by last year’s stand-in, Brock Hoffman. Hoffman had a decent year in 2024, grading out at a respectable 66.3 from Pro Football Focus whilst serving as the team’s pivot after the offseason departure of Conor Williams.
However, another option presented would be to attempt to find an upgrade over Hoffman in the form of Pro Bowler and former Detroit Lion and Baltimore Raven, Kevin Zeitler, per Mauricio Rodriguez of A To Z Sports.
“If the Cowboys want to upgrade the OL, they could also make a move in March, though it seems unlikely. There are other free agents that could make sense but at 34 years old, Zeitler is the kind of veteran the Cowboys could target. Pro Football Focus projects his deal at $6.25 million, which is a potential bargain if he keeps up his play.”
Zeitler Suggested As Replacement For Martin
Martin was the Cowboys’ join longest-tenured player alongside defensive end, Demarcus Lawrence, whose contract is also up next month. And with 9 All-Pros and Pro-Bowls apiece, his future-Hall of Fame-career level play will not be replaced easily.
But Zeitler was sneakily one of the better interior offensive linemen in the NFL last year, garnering a massive 86.8 grade from PFF – and had an arguably even better year than his sole Pro Bowl season the previous year, in 2023.
Dallas could opt to take a chance on Hoffman, however paying Zeitler a very reasonable ≈ $6 million deal could pay dividends for an offensive line that took a slight dip from its elite level play that Cowboys fans have been accustomed to over the past few years.
There is also the issue of rookie, Tyler Guyton, who struggled in his rookie year. If Guyton’s play fails to improve, the team may need to push Pro Bowler, Tyler Smith out to tackle, leaving a hole at guard.
Yet, the Cowboys may feel that their current cap situation, which is tight to say the least, may not have room to add an ageing, stop-gap player who likely won’t play more than a year for the organization – and could also face serious regression as he enters his age-35 season.
Regardless, this is big news for Dallas, and they will have to find a way to address the trenches in some form.
