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.

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DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks do not have a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but they have plenty to look forward to with player development ahead of the next season. Dereck Lively II has already solidified himself as a key contributor, but Olivier-Maxence Prosper remains an important developmental prospect.

Prosper averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 8.4 minutes per game in 40 appearances during his rookie campaign. Interestingly enough, back in July, the Mavericks felt there was a greater outlook for Prosper to earn playing time instead of Lively, but the opposite proved to be the case.

Prosper spent most of his season with the Texas Legends and showed intriguing progression as a shooter and scorer, averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 33.3 minutes per game. In those 24 games played, he shot 51.2% from the floor, 42.5% from deep (5.3 attempts per game) and 76.7% from the free throw line.

The Mavericks continue to view Prosper as being a potential difference-maker defensively. It’s easy to see why, considering he’s a 6-foot-7 wing with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and a strong frame. It wasn’t uncommon to see him working on cone drills focused on lateral quickness throughout the season.

During his media exit interview, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison confirmed Prosper will participate in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in July.

“O-Max is going to be good. We had his exit interview, and we just want him to have a really good summer, get back, get confidence and because the kid can play,” Harrison said. “He can play on both sides of the ball, and the goal for him is to come back in September in great shape with a lot of confidence and ready to compete for minutes. “

Harrison views Prosper as having a genuine outlook to earn playing time next season if he has a productive summer and enters training camp in great shape and having confidence.

“He’s a rookie playing with a team with a lot of good players in front of him,” Harrison said. “And so I think if he attacks this summer like he will, he has really hard work at the great kid that next year he comes, he comes back in great shape and confident enough to compete for minutes.”

Late in the regular season, Prosper emphasized the need for him to continue to slow down in his approach and grow his decision-making. “The biggest thing is just slowing down,” he said in April. “Slowing down out there, seeing what’s in front of me, taking the right shots, and just learning how to play with my teammates.”

Prosper added the need for him to emphasize his development defensively. “I didn’t play as much with them this year, but just keep learning how to play with them and just keep working on my efficiency and my defense,” he said. “Defense is a big key of my game, and I take a lot of pride in that. And, you know, I’m going to end up guarding the best wings in the world. So I got to keep working on that, and that’s what I focus on.”

The NBA will hold Summer League from July 12 to 22 in Las Vegas at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA offseason.

Follow Grant Afseth on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Every week, we take questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook about Dallas Cowboys players and other issues surrounding the team. So let’s get right into it.

“Which of the rookies do you think have the biggest chance of make the final 53? And do any of the vets have to be worried about being replaced by the rookies?”

(@Rich Gillet on Facebook)

Mike: It wouldn’t be surprising if all the rookies make it on the team this year. The only one who might not is Nathan Thomas, depending on how the other offensive tackles develop. People were wondering if Brock Hoffman would start at center, but now Cooper Beebe poses a big challenge and might end up taking his spot before the season starts.

Ryan Flournoy poses a significant challenge to some of the veterans at the wide receiver position. During mini-camp, he left a lasting impression and even caught the attention of his fellow players. His emergence as a strong contender jeopardizes some of the bottom of the roster wide receivers who have hung around for a few years.

Justin Rogers serves more as a replacement for Johnathan Hankins. His presence, however, does pose a potential challenge for Chauncey Golston, as it may limit his playing time. Of course, this assumes that Golston can establish his role within the defense before the cuts are made.

Dana: The first three draft picks of 2024 should find themselves on the final 53: Tyler Guyton, Marshawn Kneeland, and Cooper Beebe. Guyton and Beebe have a good chance to take over the starting roles for left tackle and center at some point this season, even if they aren’t quite ready for that responsibility Week 1. If Beebe does become the starting center, expect Brock Hoffman to remain on the roster for depth. The same might not be said for Chuma Edoga at the tackle position if Guyton solidifies his starting role, as there are a few younger tackles the team might want to develop instead. For example, the seventh-round pick Nathan Thomas.

The majority of defensive end snaps will obviously belong to DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons with an increase of snaps for Sam Williams from last year, but look for Kneeland to share a piece of that pie. Depending on how he is able to take advantage of his reps at training camp, that may not leave much room for Chauncey Golston when it comes time to set the 53-man roster.

As for the other draft picks, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see all of them make it to the 53-man roster. There were a lot of holes in the team before the draft and the Cowboys haven’t necessarily been shy about how much they are going to depend on their young guys this season. Marist Liufau (LB), Caelen Carson (CB), and Ryan Flournoy (WR) all have a really good chance to see in-game snaps this season. Justin Rogers (DT) could be grouped in there as well based on the lack of depth at DT.

“In your opinion, is the Week 7 Bye too early, too late or just right?”

(@MrEd315 on Twitter)

Mike: It’s definitely a bit too soon for an 18-week season. Going 11 weeks without a break, especially with the Thanksgiving portion where they have to play three games in 11 days, is a demanding stretch that impacts the players’ stamina.

There is an optimistic view, however, for where the Cowboys take this year’s bye week. The Week 7 bye allows the team to rest, recover, and gear up for a crucial match against their fierce rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. Historically, the Cowboys have a strong record of 4-1 in the last five years after returning from a bye week, which bodes well for their chances of defeating the 49ers on their home turf. This early bye week could be just what Dallas needs to secure a major victory.

Dana: It’s always a bit difficult to judge the best time for a bye during the season as there are so many factors that could affect when a team needs the relief. Things like durability, injuries and opponents all play a role. Outside factors aside, the ideal bye would be smack dab in the middle of the season, Week 8 – Week 10. However, when you look at who the Cowboys play after their bye in Week 7, it might do them well to get the extra prep. The Cowboys will face the 49ers in Week 8. The 49ers have been dubbed as the Cowboys’ boogey man as of late, so the extra rest and prep might be the remedy needed to relieve that years-long headache.

The Cowboys also have a little bit of a mini-bye between Week 13 (Thanksgiving) and Week 14 (Monday Night). Hopefully that bit of a break later in the season will be enough to help the team finish the season strong.

“How much playing time will KaVontae Turpin get his year and will he get more snaps at WR this year?”

(@Glen Stevens on Facebook)

Mike: It seems likely that he will have an increased workload this year based on the signs we’ve seen so far. His name has been mentioned frequently during the install period, indicating that the coaches are exploring new ways to utilize his skills. Once the team arrives in Oxnard and we observe how the players perform and are utilized, we will have a better understanding of what to expect from Turpin this season.

Utilizing Turpin from the backfield or on jet sweeps and screen passes could greatly benefit the offense and force defenses to cover more ground horizontally. This, in turn, could create more opportunities for players like Brandin Cooks, who has shown to be more comfortable on this offense during the offseason.

Dana: KaVontae Turpin had a pretty big jump in snaps since Mike McCarthy took over play calling for this offense. In his first season he had only one reception, whereas in year two, that number jumped to 12. With those 12 receptions last year, Turpin had 127 yards and three touchdowns. This year, the trust McCarthy has in Turpin should be even stronger. It also works in Turpin’s favor that there isn’t really a set WR3. The previous WR3 for the Cowboys had 57 targets last year. It should be expected that a portion of those should be reserved for Turpin.

The Cowboys are also testing out Deuce Vaughn for kick returns this season. Depending on how that goes, it may give the Cowboys more confidence in expanding Turpin’s role in the receiving game.

Be sure to check Blogging The Boys as well as @kenfigkowboy and @day_nuh_bee on X and also Facebook for the weekly post, asking for your questions to include in the weekly mailbag. Many thanks to everyone who send in your questions and votes.