For the Dallas Cowboys and every team in the NFL, it starts in the trenches. That's where the Cowboys' offensive line established themselves as arguably the league's best over a half-decade ago. Those days are long gone. However, the Cowboys still have top-tier players on the unit.

Pro Football Focus dropped their rankings of the 50 best players in the NFL this past week. Veteran left tackle Tyron Smith came in at No. 41 on the list despite his inability to stay healthy. Another member of the Cowboys' offensive line, right guard Zack Martin, cracked the top 10, coming in at the ninth spot.

It's impressive that both players are still considered to be some of the best overall players in the NFL, showcasing the Cowboys' astute decision-making at the time.

PFF's Sam Monson on Martin's ranking:

"Martin may be the most underrated player in the NFL. He accrued a career-best 93.9 PFF grade last season, posting six separate PFF game grades above 90.0 during the season. He allowed 19 pressures on 688 pass-blocking snaps and has seen his performance improve in each of the past three years."

Dominant, reliable, consistent, and disciplined. All those adjectives can describe Martin during his time with the Cowboys. From the time he stepped on an NFL field he was a force to be reckoned with as he received six consecutive All-Pro nods (four first-team selections) to start his career. In 2020, Martin battled a calf issue that forced him to miss six games, and ended his All-Pro/Pro Bowl streak.

Martin returned to form in 2021 by playing in 16 games and receiving his seventh All-Pro honor in eight seasons, fifth on the first team. It's not just Martin's power that's impressive but his technique is also, making him a nightmare for defensive linemen to get through.

The former first-round pick rarely makes mistakes either. In eight seasons, Martin has only been called for 19 penalties despite playing nearly 7,900 snaps. Martin has only been penalized for holding once in the last five seasons and has been flagged for just two false starts over that span.

Although the Cowboys have had two top-ranked offenses over the last three seasons they are looking to take it to the next level, especially after their lackluster performance in the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers. Martin continuing his dominance will be key in that becoming reality.

Feature image via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports