Dallas, TX
Dallas Cowboys have NFL’s best offensive guard duo, per PFF
The Dallas Cowboys have a number of question marks on their roster, but one area there is no reason for concern is in the trenches.
Dallas has future Hall of Famer Zack Martin and former first-round pick Tyler Smith, who has blossomed into one of the best at his position, as starting offensive guards.
The Martin and Smith duo has been so impressive, in fact, that Pro Football Focus ranks them as the top offensive guard duo in the NFL.
MORE: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys’ 9x All-Pro, could be making farewell tour in 2024
“Martin over the past two seasons hasn’t been at his previous level of earning 90.0-plus PFF grades, but he has still been one of the top pass-blockers at the position. His 75.1 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2023 ranked 10th after he allowed just 24 quarterback pressures from 655 pass-blocking snaps,” Gordon McGuinness of PFF writes.
“Left guard Tyler Smith is ascending, coming off a season in which he ranked eighth among guards in PFF run-blocking grade (80.7).”
Throughout his NFL career, Martin has been a nine-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler. He was named to the NFL’s 2010 All-Decade Team.
In his 152 career starts, Martin has allowed only 16.5 sacks. Last season, Martin allowed four sacks in 908 snaps played.
Smith, meanwhile, is a two-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team All-Pro in 2023. He was the Cowboys’ first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Tulsa. Smith played primarily as a tackle in his rookie season but moved to a full-time guard in 2023 and proved why he was a first-round talent.
Because of the dominance of Martin and Smith in the trenches, the Cowboys should be able to make up for the lack of a star running back leading the backfield.
— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
More Cowboys News
Dallas, TX
2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced
Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.
Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.
The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.
It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs
Flashit Photography
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018.
The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175.
Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed.
“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.
Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force.
The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.
On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.”
“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.”
Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion.
Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago.
“I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.”
Dallas, TX
World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released
We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.
-
South-Carolina3 minutes agoSouth Carolina Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for May 14, 2026
-
South Dakota9 minutes agoMr. Basketball award is presented annual by Hansen Anderson Basketball
-
Tennessee15 minutes agoChildhood friends reunite during cancer treatments 50 years after serving in Tennessee National Guard together
-
Texas21 minutes agoBest social media reactions from Texas A&M’s 18-11 loss to MSU
-
Utah27 minutes agoA new law in Utah allows students to opt out of coursework that conflicts with their beliefs
-
Vermont33 minutes ago
VT Lottery Gimme 5, Pick 3 results for May 14, 2026
-
Virginia39 minutes agoHonking on the highway: Family of geese escorted off I-66 in Virginia
-
Washington45 minutes agoSuspect arrested in fatal stabbing of University of Washington student