Ever since he entered the league, the Cincinnati Bengals have had plenty of issues protecting quarterback Joe Burrow. It’s for that reason the Bengals should have their eye on Dallas Cowboys pending free agent guard, Zack Martin.
The Bengals surrendered 48 sacks last season, tied for the 11th-most in the NFL. That was a slight improvement from the 50 sacks the team gave up the season prior, but that still isn’t good enough.
Cincinnati’s guard play was particularly bad. Alex Cappa, who is slated to be a free agent this offseason, surrendered eight sacks and 51 total pressures in 774 pass-blocking snaps. 2022 fourth-round pick, Cordell Volson, was slightly better but still gave up six sacks and 43 total pressures.
With the Bengals’ need at guard, TWSN’s Blake Meek predicts Cincinnati will come away with Martin in free agency this offseason.
“Bringing in a veteran guard that is as good as Zack Martin would not only help Burrow, but the rest of the offensive linemen around him, particularly Amarius Mims,” he wrote. “He isn’t going to be an extremely expensive signing, with him getting up in age. The Bengals would have to go against the fact that they don’t generally sign aging veterans, but they should make an exception in this case.”
A nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team All-Pro, Martin has been one of the best interior offensive linemen in the NFL throughout his career and is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
But, he’s also set to turn 35 in November and started to show possible signs of decline in Dallas last season. Martin’s five sacks and 24 pressures allowed were both the most of his illustrious career, per Pro Football Focus. Even still, those numbers would be an upgrade for Cincinnati.
It’s important to note, however, that Martin was playing hurt before his 11th year in the NFL ended early. Martin was dealing with an ankle injury before an issue with the opposite one put him on the shelf for good, so that could explain his lackluster numbers in pass protection.
“It’s something I’ve been dealing with all year, back to training camp, and really over the last few years,” the Cowboys great said of his ankle issue. “But the last couple of weeks, we kind of took those two weeks and tried to heal up and did some different treatments, and stuff like that. And then, Monday, we did some workouts on the field and that just didn’t respond very well.”
According to Spotrac, after signing a two-year, $36 million deal a few years back, Martin is expected to land a one-year, $9.1 million deal in free agency this offseason.
The Bengals have a healthy cap space situation, with a projected $46.5 million to work with, per Over the Cap. With the offensive line being a big need, Cincinnati should allocate some of those funds on a proven veteran like Martin, who should have interest in a team like the Bengals that will give him a chance to compete.
