The Dallas Cowboys have spent a lot of time wondering if they’ll have quarterback Dak Prescott for the first game of the 2021 NFL season. However, they now know for sure that they won’t have six-time Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin after he tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It’s a huge blow for the Cowboys, who will now be without their top offensive lineman in a huge game to start the season. Martin also becomes the first NFL player to be ruled out for a game this season for a positive COVID test.
And so Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin becomes the first player this season to be ruled out of a game after testing positive for COVID; he most certainly will not be the last. https://t.co/DMGCgXrrs9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2021
Many of the Dallas Cowboys players have been asked about the situation and what it will mean to be without Martin during the game. Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who counts on Martin to open up holes for him to run through, certainly has some concerns.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott on RG Zack Martin’s COVID-19 diagnosis: “It’s disappointing, but you can’t harp on it. We’re definitely going to miss him. We definitely wish he was out there. …You’ve got to have a next-man-up mentality. We still have a game to win.” pic.twitter.com/mhM1S7PBTk
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) September 5, 2021
“It’s disappointing but you can’t harp on it,” said Elliott. “We’re definitely going to miss him. We definitely wish he was out there…you’ve got to have a next-man-up mentality. We still have a game to win.”
Elliott also said that he was confident in Connor McGovern, who is starting in Martin’s place. McGovern told reporters that he would be ready to play.
Connor McGovern to start Thursday vs. Buccaneers in place of RG Zack Martin (COVID-19). “I always prepare. …Being in a situation like this, you’ve just got to be ready to step up.” Hopes to build off what he showed late last season. More comfortable. More confident. pic.twitter.com/WjubNrjASd
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) September 5, 2021
“I always prepare,” said McGovern. “Being in a situation like this, you’ve just got to be ready to step up.”
Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was also asked about the COVID situation with the team. He tried to stay positive, noting that “The next man has to step up.”
DeMarcus Lawrence on COVID issues: "It's something we can't control. It's like the weather," he said. "It’s hot as s—t out here but we still got to come to work. It is what it is. The next man has to step up. We have to keep this show on the road."
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 5, 2021
The Cowboys open the 2021 NFL season against the Buccaneers on Thursday, Sept. 9.
