Archer: Much to consider for Cowboys, Zack Martin to reach a deal but it's not hard

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Much to consider for Cowboys, Zack Martin to reach a deal but it's not hard
9:00 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer

FRISCO, Texas -- For the fifth time in the last six years the Dallas Cowboys will open the season against the New York Giants.

I wonder if we can already pencil in the 2018 season opener between these two NFC East rivals because we know it will be a huge ratings success. That’s just a mini-wonder. We’ve got more as Five Wonders kicks off its regular-season work.

Away we go:

1) I don’t wonder if Zack Martin will be a Cowboy for a long, long time. Eventually he and the team will work out a deal. They want him. He doesn’t want to leave. All of that makes it a no-brainer that a deal will get done. But when? I wonder if one of the issues is making sure Tyron Smith does not get upset. Smith’s deal, which he signed in 2014, is worth an average of $12.2 million per season, which is the fourth-highest average in the NFL. Average per year is only one marker when it comes to contracts. Guaranteed money remains the top priority, followed by cash flow and value over the first three years of the deal. The Cowboys will not hesitate making Martin the league's highest-paid guard, which would mean a $12 million per season average at the moment. So now you see the wiggle room for the average per year. Both sides in these talks are too smart to not get something done. It’ll just take time. But don’t for a second think Martin will be playing anywhere else but Dallas after 2018.

2) I wonder how concerned the Cowboys will be with Giants tight end Evan Engram Sunday. During the open portion of practices last week at Ford Center, the Cowboys had scout-team players simulate Odell Beckham Jr. and Engram, the Giants’ first-round pick. You can understand why they would want to have somebody serve as a Beckham look-a-like. Engram is not much of a blocker but he could be a big target for Eli Manning. Byron Jones has been used the past two years mostly on tight ends. Would the Cowboys go with rookie Chidobe Awuzie on Engram after Awuzie played in only two preseason games?

3) On Saturday, the Cowboys cut two defensive line draft picks in Joey Ivie and Jordan Carrell, seventh-rounders both, and did not bring either one back to the practice squad a day later. On Sunday the Cowboys cut defensive tackle Cedric Thornton, who was still owed $3 million guaranteed. None of those guys were drafted or signed without Rod Marinelli playing a big part in the decision. There is always a back and forth between coaches and scouts on picking in the draft and free agency. Who do the ultimate decision-makers listen to? The Cowboys like to call it a collaborative decision-making process, which is fine, but it also shields folks from accountability should those moves not work out. Marinelli has done a tremendous job getting the defensive line to play hard and better than expected. I wonder if these misses will limit his voice in the decision-making process going forward.

4) I more than wonder if the Cowboys kept only eight defensive linemen because Damontre Moore will be back in two weeks. But here’s the real wonder: I wonder who will be the odd man out when it is time for Moore to occupy a spot on the 53-man roster? It could be Charles Tapper, last year’s fourth-round pick who did not play a snap because of a back injury. Jason Garrett’s responses this summer about Tapper have been tepid. They like him. They believe he has skill, but he can’t stay healthy long enough to get a true evaluation.

5) As part of the Bene Benwikere trade with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cowboys would give up their sixth-round pick in 2019 if he is on the 46-man roster for four games this season. I wonder if that opens up a window into how much time the Cowboys believe Jourdan Lewis will need to get back to full strength from a hamstring strain that limited him to one training camp practice. It’s not just full strength in terms of health. It’s full strength in terms of knowing all that he needs to know. Benwikere is a good pickup as a zone corner with experience but once Lewis gets up to speed, the third-round pick should see the field.
 
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