This would be a great replacement for the future Hall of Famer.
The 2025 season was always up in the air for nine time All-Pro Zack Martin. After 11 seasons, it was clear that the wear and tear of the NFL grind were starting to get to him, and he even had to be shut down with a season-ending ankle injury. On Thursday, the inevitable finally happened when Martin informed the team of his retirement from the NFL. The Cowboys have some internal options like Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass to replace him at right guard. However, they could add a different player in free agency.
Veteran guard Will Hernandez is a former first-round pick of the New York Giants. After four years in the Big Apple, Hernandez has spent the last three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, and he’s now an unrestricted free agent. With a market value projected at $4.3 million, Hernandez is a cheap option that fits the Cowboys free agency mode. He is coming off a torn ACL, which limited him to five games in 2024, and he also missed four games in 2022 with a pectoral injury. This is why he can be signed for so cheap, which again goes right in line with how Dallas does business.
The Cowboys have a strong tie to Hernandez. Their new offensive coordinator, Klayton Adams, was the offensive line coach for the Cardinals for the previous two seasons and worked with Hernandez directly. Together, they completely flipped the Cardinals offensive line around and turned it into one of the more respectable units in the NFL. So, Hernandez already knows how Adams likes to get things done and what his philosophy is. Once the Cowboys brought Adams in, Hernandez praised the move, calling him the right guy.
Had a great conversation with Arizona OL Will Hernandez — a free agent this offseason — about Klayton Adams. I’ll share the full interview tomorrow, but first here’s a teaser:
“I’m telling you: you got the right guy.” https://t.co/tIj6DZUQYA pic.twitter.com/auKJql7nPK
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) February 4, 2025
Hernandez plays with the toughness and tenacity that the Cowboys desperately need in the trenches. He’s been a steady performer with 91 starts in 97 career games. If Dallas made this move, Hernandez would be an immediate starter at right guard that would solidify the interior of the Cowboys offensive line with Cooper Beebe at center and Tyler Smith at left guard. It would also allow the Cowboys to pick up another tackle earlier in April’s NFL draft if they choose to.
There are plenty of dots that connect Hernandez to the Cowboys, and he’ll certainly be a name to watch for them once the free agency frenzy begins.
