Age is just a number for these three Cowboys players

Recently, a group of writers from NFL.com were asked to name the league’s top 30 players over the age of 30. Three Cowboys made the list in what could possibly be their final year with the team

No. 29 | Zack Martin | OG

One of three guards on the list with the Chiefs’ Joe Thuney (No. 25) and the Browns’ Joel Bitonio (No. 26), the 33-year-old Martin barely makes the list ahead of Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader.

That seems awfully low. With nine Pro Bowl appearances and seven All-Pro nominations, Martin tops our list of the 10 greatest Cowboys of the past decade . Entering his 11th season with the Cowboys, Martin may not be the player he once was but NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri remains impressed:

"I desperately wanted to get Mike Hilton and Justin Tucker on the list — at least in one of these final two spots. But as much as I love Hilton's game and Tucker's bravado, Martin's exemplary career and snap-to-snap importance made for too strong an argument."

Martin is currently tied with Hall of Famers Bob Lilly and Randy White for the most All-Pro nominations in franchise history. Although he’s under contract through 2025, the old guard has hinted that next season will be his last .

No. 20 | Demarcus Lawrence | DE

While the days of double-sacks may be history for Lawrence, the 32-year-old lineman remains one of the league’s best at stopping the run. As NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice points out, Lawrence received the second-highest grade in run defense from Pro Football Focus last year:

"While Micah Parsons racks up sacks at a rate that generates Lawrence Taylor comps, the 11th-year veteran apply (sic) nicknamed “Tank” keeps setting a hard edge on the strong side. He’s just a beast in the trenches and an absolute force against the ground game."

Lawrence ranks 12th in franchise history with 58.5 sacks, second in tackles for loss (93), and second in quarterback hits (121). He also remains unsigned beyond 2024. With a potential $10M in salary cap savings and second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland waiting in the wings, don’t be surprised if the team moves Lawrence before the regular season.

No. 4 | Dak Prescott | QB

Prescott will be 31 years old at the start of the regular season, which is more like 62 in Dallas-Cowboy-Starting-Quarterback years. Already the third-leading passer in franchise history, Prescott needs 3,483 yards to overtake Troy Aikman (32,942) for second place next season.

Unfortunately, his team couldn’t overtake the Packers, losing 48-32 in last year’s NFC wild-card game, something for which Prescott receives too much criticism according to Bhanpuri:

"Because of the disastrous way Dallas' season ended (which was hardly on Dak's shoulders alone), it's easy to forget that the Cowboys' QB1 finished the year ranked among the league's best in most traditional and advanced passing metrics."

Prescott led the NFL with 36 touchdowns in 2023, finishing with a career-best 105.9 quarterback rating. He’s also due to become a free agent in 2025 which should make for an interesting 2024 season.