The offseason OTAs are voluntary but many NFL teams strongly encourage all their players to show up. This year, there were some notable names who did not show up at the OTAs around the NFL, including Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Le’Veon Bell. There were also some other names that did show up and ended up injured early – already out for the entire 2018 NFL season due to mishaps in these early practices. For the Dallas Cowboys, one name that didn’t show up to work at the OTAs is offensive guard Zack Martin – a player considered the best in the NFL at his position.

Cowboys not worried too much about Martin’s absence

The Dallas Cowboys know that Zack Martin will show up 100-percent ready to play when he does finally show up this year for the team. There is a thought that the reason Martin is not there yet is that his contract is coming up soon. However, the Cowboys have made it clear that re-signing Martin is a priority and it might be one of the reasons that the team let Dez Bryant go this offseason, clearing up money for signing Martin.

According to Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, he knew that Zack Martin was likely going to skip the OTAs. Garrett said that Martin met with the team conditioning and strength staff instead of working out at the OTAs.

He also said that Martin was in contact with both him and his bosses, Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones. With that said, Garrett said that the absence is really about the contract, saying that there is a business side that they are working on right now.

The future of Zack Martin

The Dallas Cowboys built their entire offense around their offensive line.

In three of four consecutive NFL Drafts, the Cowboys drafted Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith and Zack Martin and they have become one of the best offensive lines in the entire NFL. Frederick and Smith have already signed their extensions and now it is Martin’s turn – with some considering Martin the best of the batch. According to ESPN, the Cowboys are willing to make Martin the highest-paid guard in the entire NFL and they are working towards that goal.

Zack Martin has not missed any of the 64 games that the Dallas Cowboys have played since they chose him in the 2014 NFL Draft. He won’t miss any either. Expect the Cowboys to get the contract done soon, as Martin said he is hopeful it gets done and said he will see “where it goes” from here. For now, this is just the OTAs, and as long as Martin is working with strength and conditioning coaches, he is less likely to fall to a freak injury.
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