Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin’s knee scare overshadows preseason loss to the Bengals
Considering it was just the second preseason game with the starters playing a little more than a quarter, the most significant thing from the Dallas Cowboys’ 21-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium Saturday was the potential loss of the All-Pro guard Zack Martin to a knee injury.
The Cowboys led 10-0 halftime before blowing the game with the backups on the field for the second straight week. Their 24-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason opener came after they coughed up a 21-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
But again, the biggest concern was the health of Martin.
Martin went down early in the second quarter following a seven-yard run by Rod Smith. It appeared a helmet hit his left knee. After limping off the field, Martin spent time in the medical tent before heading to the locker room.
Martin will have a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.
But owner Jerry Jones said the first prognosis of Martin’s knee injury is positive and will allow him to sleep well.
“We’re very positive how it impacts the rest of camp, but we’ll see more after we have a chance to look at it,” Jones said. ”What we’ve seen I’ll sleep good tonight.”
But it should be a seen as a positive sign that he returned to the sideline in street clothes before the end of the game.
A loss of Martin for any significant time would be a huge setback for the Cowboys. He is the best lineman on the team and the best guard in the league, who recently signed a six-year contract extension for $84 million, making him the highest paid guard in the league and highest player on the Cowboys.
Kadeem Edwards replaced Martin Saturday night. Marcus Martin, signed in free agency to be the backup guard, was lost for the season in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers with torn ligaments in his big toe.
Martin’s injury comes on top of concerns for Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick, who sat out the Bengals game because of stingers in his neck. It is unknown when Frederick will return to practice. He got a second opinion last week from noted spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins.
Here are five observations from the game:
1. Quarterback Dak Prescott will likely always remains a conundrum to some because of his bouts of inaccuracy. But the bottom line is the bottom line for Prescott: he is a gamer. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 86 yards and led the Cowboys to 10 points. He completed passes to six different receivers His six-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams was a thing of beauty as Prescott bought time with a spin move in the pocket, a la Tony Romo, before soft tossing the ball to Williams to cap a 16-play, 82-yard drive.
“He looked very comfortable and confident,” coach Jason Garrett said of Prescott. “He made some plays in the pocket, made some plays out of the pocket. I just think he is running the show the right way. He’s got a great command of what we want to do. It was good to see him cash in on the one drive. The scramble play to the left to Williams, really good job of Terrance staying alive and good poise by Dak. At the end of the day, he had a really good outing.”
Remember, this is a Cowboys offense that played without running back Ezekiel Elliott and receivers Tavon Austin, Cole Beasley and Deonte Thompson. That’s a lot of missing firepower the team will be counting on when the games start counting for real.
“To have a lot of firepower not even out there and still just…get it done, we move the ball, run into a few third downs and we convert them. If you do that, converting third downs is hard to do in this league, and if you can do it and do it few times like we did on the 16 play drive, you’ve got a chance. That was good to see.”
2. The Cowboys receivers corps remains a work in progress only because so many receivers have missed time with injuries. Again, that list includes the aforementioned Austin (hamstring), Beasley (groin), Thompson (achilles) and Noah Brown (hamstring). But on the flip side, it has meant more time on task for rookie third-round pick Michael Gullap with Prescott. Gallup had two receptions for 16 yards against the Bengals, both coming on 8-yard slants in tight coverage on third down to move the chains. They were two examples of the trust Prescott has in the rookie. The two hooked up for a 30-yard touchdowns reception in the season opener.
“I do think they have some time on task and that has helped them,” Garrett said of Gallup and Prescott. “I think Dak is confident in him. There are some man-to-man routes and he won on those crosses. Dak delivered the ball and he finished the play. Those are big plays for him so it is good to see him getting that work and coming through for us.”
3. Cowboys cornerback Chido Awuzie and Byron Jones have been two of the biggest stars of training camp as they have adapted to the physical style of play taught by new secondary coach Kris Richard. The two have been lock-down corners so far in the preseason. The Bengals passed for just 47 yards in the first half Saturday night with 23 going to tight end C.J. Uzomah. Receiver A.J. Green had just one catch for 9 yards. Awuzie made the best impression Saturday with a pass deflection and the most athletic interception by a Cowboys cornerback in years. He sank under a pass from Jeff Driskell, tipping it two himself before hauling it in. The Cowboys had a forced fumble following a reception when defensive end Taco Charlton knocked the ball out and Jones picked it up. The Cowboys now have five forced turnovers in two games.
“They are really doing a good job,” Garrett said. “They are around the ball and making plays. The Chidobe interception was an outstanding play. He is a really bold guy and he has so much athletic ability but he’s got a real feel for playing too. Byron was around the ball a lot too. He picked up the fumble. Those guys are active. They are getting more comfortable and getting more confidence.”
4. It was a win for the Dallas Cowboys when defensive end Randy Gregory was reinstated for the start of training camp following a year-long suspension for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. They entered the situation with expectations of an immediate return to the field. Gregory’s return has gone better than expected as he played against the Bengals after just a week of practice. He didn’t register a sack or any tackles. But Gregory was on the field with the first-team in obvious pass rush situations opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. He was in on just 10 plays, by design. He played in front of Charlton and rookie Dorance Armstrong. Now the Cowboys wanted to get him some runs against the starting offensive line. But it speaks to how far and how fast he has come in camp.
“It looked like he played with a good spirit,” Garrett said. “He was active, looked like he was around the quarterback a few times. He looked quick and explosive. He looked like himself. He is a really natural pass rusher with a lot of skills. He played ten snaps in the game, which is the number we wanted for him. Hopefully, this will be a stepping stone for more action in the future.
“We want to be deliberate with him and he went through all the steps we wanted him to go through. He practiced well. We thought this was the right number of snaps tonight and he handled it well. What we want to do with him is continue to get him out there. He certainly looks like he is comfortable and confident, and he is getting better every day.”
5. The Cowboys may have to remain in the sweepstakes for Seattle Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas out of necessity if not need. Starting safeties Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods had strong performances early against the Bengals to more than alleviate concerns about their ability to make plays. But the depth at the position has long been a question mark. And it didn’t help that Woods left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. Third safety Kavon Frazier is dealing with knee swelling. And the Cowboys lost Jameill Showers to a knee injury in the second half. Time will tell on Woods’ hamstring. But he made several plays before the injury, including an athletic pass deflection. Woods will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Sunday.
“We have a numbers issue right now,” Garrett said of the safety position. “So we will have to evaluate who is available for us, if we have to go get someone else.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2018 at 9:24 PM.