Tyron Smith and Zack Martin will be Hall of Famers but who will follow from the Dallas Cowboys' active roster?

At 25 years old, I'm finally starting to understand what as a kid seemed to me an overused quote: Time sure flies. That's what I can't help but think of following Tyron Smith's retirement from the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys will hold a press conference to make it official on Wednesday as the veteran is signing […]

Mauricio Rodriguez — Dallas Cowboys News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith (77) on the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium.
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

At 25 years old, I'm finally starting to understand what as a kid seemed to me an overused quote: Time sure flies. 

That's what I can't help but think of following Tyron Smith's retirement from the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys will hold a press conference to make it official on Wednesday as the veteran is signing a one-day deal to retire in the silver and navy.

As a result, he will join former teammate Zack Martin in this year's retiree class, with whom he played for a decade. Both will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2030 and the two will have strong chance of being first-ballot inductees. 

As I think of their dominance, which the Cowboys failed to parlay into playoff success for too many years, I remembered a 2023 article I wrote following DeMarcus Ware's induction into the Hall. Back then, I compiled a list of Cowboys players who could be headed to Canton, Ohio next.

The thing is. . . Smith and Martin made up 50% of my list! Time flies. Jason Witten (who will probably beat the linemen as he will be eligible in 2026) and Tony Romo (a long shot) also being a part of the piece.

Now I ask myself, which player currently on the roster can find himself getting his bust down the road? Below are my top three candidate, in order, to end up in the Hall of Fame. 

  1. Micah Parsons: In four years in the league, he's already up to two First-Team All-Pros and is genuinely getting better as he extends his pass rush repertoire. Parsons has a chance to end up as one of the best players in NFL history and is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.  
  2. CeeDee Lamb: Lamb has three All-Pro honors to his name, one of which is a First-Team season. He finished third in Offensive Player of the Year voting in 2023 and if he keeps going strong, he's the second likeliest to end up culminating his career with a gold bust. 
  3. Tyler Smith: This is more of a projection but Smith has shown flashes of dominance and he already earned a second-team All-Pro season in 2023. At guard, he's been one of the best in the game and I'd be surprised if he doesn't pick up many more All-Pro seasons in the future. 

Related Articles