Dallas Cowboys Duo – Dak Prescott and Zack Martin – Makes USA Today NFL Top 101
Coming off of an injury-plagued 6-10 record in 2020, it’s not a surprise that the Dallas Cowboys don’t have an abundance of players making preseason “Top XX” lists, but the fact that they only had two players make USA Today’s Top 101 has to be concerning.
USA Today has a write-up on each of their picks and we highlight a short blurb on the Cowboys picks. For the full list and the full evaluation on USA Today, please click on the associated links.
No. 22: Zack Martin
Martin is the fourth-ranked offensive lineman on the list behind 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (No. 18), Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari (No. 13) and Colts guard Quenton Nelson (No. 9).
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Martin, 30, is a former first-round pick out of Notre Dame. He’s consistently been among the NFL’s elite offensive linemen throughout his seven years in the NFL, having been named an All-Pro six times (4 First-Team, 2 Second-Team). Martin has also made six Pro Bowls and was among the 52 players on the NFL’s All-Decade team from 2010-2019.
He’s gotten Canton written all over him.
“Since entering the league in 2014, right guard Zack Martin has consistently been one of the NFL’s top players in the interior. 2020 was no exception,” writes USA Today. “While the Dallas Cowboys endured struggles on the defensive side of the football and saw their starting quarterback go down with a horrific injury early in the year, Martin continued to impress week-in and week-out. As the offensive line suffered through some injuries of their own, Martin even slid to right tackle for 117 snaps, showcasing his skills on the outside.”
No 12: Dak Prescott, 1,856 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs
Dak Prescott lands just outside of the top 10 after missing most of the 2020 season with a brutal ankle injury.
The quarterback is healthy and ready to prove all the doubters wrong heading into training camp in Oxnard, Calif. on July 22.
“I’m healthy,” Prescott said in May. “If we had to play a game now, I could go out there and be very successful. Start the game, finish the game and not even worry about the leg.”
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Despite the injury, the former fourth-round pick was surprisingly ranked ahead of two players widely seen as being superior quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson of the Ravens and Josh Allen of the Bills. Listed ahead of Prescott were quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
The 30-year-old was well on his way to having an MVP caliber season before he went down in Week 5 vs the Giants. He even led the NFL in passing yards after Week 6 despite playing one fewer game than most of the other quarterbacks in the league.
Will a healthy roster in tow, the Cowboys are hopeful they can see the pre-injury 2020 version of Prescott for a full season.
Prior to his season-ending injury, Dak Prescott was becoming a must-watch at the quarterback position,” USA Today writes. “In just five games Prescott threw nine touchdown passes, and his Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt (ANY/A) of 7.72 ranked him sixth among NFL passers last season.”
