Dallas Cowboys All-Pro right guard Zack Martin tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Thursday night’s season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Martin, 30, was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday. He tested positive on Saturday after experiencing mild flu-like symptoms and taste loss, the Dallas Morning News reported.
“He’s frustrated obviously,” head coach Mike McCarthy said of Martin, who is fully vaccinated. “But hey, this is the world we live in right now.”
Martin has started 104 of a possible 112 games since Dallas drafted him in the first round (16th overall) in 2014. He made six straight Pro Bowls and earned four first-team All-Pro selections from 2014-19 before missing six games last season with a calf injury.
Reserve guard Brandon Knight was also added to the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday after being identified as a close contact. He has not tested positive, per a team spokesperson.
Two Cowboys offensive linemen received better news. Right tackle La’el Collins was cleared to return to practice Sunday after sitting out last week with a neck stinger, and left guard Connor Williams was activated from the COVID list.
Second-year guard Connor McGovern, 23, is expected to start in Martin’s place on Thursday night in Tampa against the defending Super Bowl champions.
–Field Level Media
