Two Dallas Cowboys earn second-team All-Pro honors
Right guard Zack Martin had arguably his best season in the NFL. He gave up just one sack and wasn’t penalized while starting all 16 games.
DeMarcus Lawrence had a breakout season with 14.5 sacks and 52 quarterback pressures, more than double his next closest teammate.
But the Dallas Cowboys had no players voted first-team All-Pro. The team finished 9-7 this season.
Instead, Martin and Lawrence were named to the second-team on Friday, The Associated Press announced. The All-Pro teams are selected by a national panel of 50 media members.
The All-Pro honors are generally viewed as more meaningful than Pro Bowl selections.
Martin was a first-team selection in 2014 and 2016, and a second-team selection in 2015.
This year’s first-team right guard honors went to Pittsburgh’s David DeCastro.
As far as edge rushers, the first-team honors went to Jacksonville’s Calais Campbell and New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan.
Lawrence and Minnesota’s Everson Griffen were on the second-team.
Martin and Lawrence were the only Cowboys to gain recognition. The Cowboys had at least four players earn All-Pro honors each of the previous three seasons. This is the team’s fewest since 2013 when left tackle Tyron Smith was the lone representative.
Center Travis Frederick has garnered All-Pro honors the past three seasons, but was passed this season by Philadelphia’s Jason Kelce (first-team) and Atlanta’s Alex Mack (second team).
Smith also isn’t on either of the teams for the first time in four years. He missed three games with injuries, and had a career-high five holding penalties.
The panel went with other left tackles in the LA Rams’ Andrew Whitworth (first team) and Green Bay’s David Bakhtiari (second team).
Drew Davison: 817-390-7760, @drewdavison
2017 AP All-Pro Team
The Associated Press 2017 NFL All-Pro team selected by a national panel of 50 media members:
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Tom Brady, New England
Running Back: Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Flex: Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, New England
Wide Receivers: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh; DeAndre Hopkins, Houston
Left Tackle: Andrew Whitworth, Los Angeles Rams
Right Tackle: Lane Johnson, Philadelphia
Left Guard: Andrew Norwell, Carolina
Right Guard: David DeCastro, Pittsburgh
Center: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia
DEFENSE
Edge Rushers: Calais Campbell, Jacksonville; Cameron Jordan, New Orleans
Interior Linemen: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh
Linebackers: Chandler Jones, Arizona; Luke Kuechly, Carolina; Bobby Wagner, Seattle
Cornerbacks: Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville; Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota
Safeties: Kevin Byard, Tennessee; Harrison Smith, Minnesota
Defensive Back: Darius Slay, Detroit
SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicker: Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams
Punter: Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles Rams
Kick Returner: Pharoh Cooper, Los Angeles Rams
Punt Returner: Jamal Agnew, Detroit
Special Teamer: Budda Baker, Arizona
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia
Running Back: Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh
Flex: Alvin Kamara, New Orleans
Tight End: Travis Kelce, Kansas City
Wide Receivers: Julio Jones, Atlanta; Adam Thielen, Minnesota
Left Tackle: David Bakhtiari, Green Bay
Right Tackle: Mitchell Schwartz, Kansas City, and Daryl Williams, Carolina
Left Guard: Rodger Saffold, Los Angeles Rams
Right Guard: Zach Martin, Dallas
Center: Alex Mack, Atlanta
DEFENSE
Edge Rushers: Everson Griffen, Minnesota; Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas
Interior Linemen: Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia; Calais Campbell, Jacksonville
Linebackers: Von Miller, Denver; C.J. Mosley, Baltimore; Telvin Smith, Jacksonville
Cornerbacks: Casey Hayward, Los Angles Chargers; A. J. Bouye, Jacksonville
Safeties: Earl Thomas, Seattle; Micah Hyde, Buffalo
Defensive Back: Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota
SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicker: Justin Tucker, Baltimore
Punter: Brett Kern, Tennessee
Kick Returner: Tyler Lockett, Seattle
Punt Returner: Pharoh Cooper, Los Angeles Rams
Special Teamer: Matthew Slater, New England
This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Two Dallas Cowboys earn second-team All-Pro honors."