Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin has been in the NFL for four years. He's made the Pro Bowl four times and been named to an All-Pro team four times. He has been one of the best players at his position from the moment he stepped on the field as a rookie, and he still is. 

The Cowboys have previously had two players with similar pedigrees -- first-round offensive linemen who dominated from Day 1 and made annual appearances in the Pro Bowl and on the All-Pro lists. Tyron Smith was given a huge contract extension prior to the expiration of his rookie deal that, at the time, made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in football. Travis Frederick was also given a huge contract extension prior to the expiration of his rookie deal that, at the time, made him the highest-paid center in football. 

Martin is every bit as good as Smith and Frederick were at the time of their respective extensions -- if not better. He might be the single best offensive lineman in the league. And yet, Martin has not yet been extended by the Cowboys. Instead, he is attending but not participating in the team's organized team activities. 

The expectation is that a deal will get done at some point that will make Martin the NFL's highest-paid guard ... but that's also been the expectation for more than a year now, and it still hasn't gotten done. CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell thinks the Cowboys need to get on it, soon. 

"This is one, in a crucial year, for Dak Prescott, for Jason Garrett -- who if he's not, should be on the hot seat to take this Dallas Cowboys team to the next level," Kanell said on CBS Sports HQ. "You've got to take care of those offensive linemen up front."

Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones reportedly said a deal could be coming soon.

Martin, Smith, Frederick, La'el Collins and 2018 second-round pick Connor Williams are the likely starters up front for Dallas this season, and the Cowboys are going to need that group to dominate the way they did in 2014 and 2016. "Especially with this run game, which was -- a couple years ago, when you had Ezekiel Elliott for a full slate of the season, when Dak Prescott was playing better, you had one of the best offensive lines in the entire NFL in large part because of production you were getting out of Zack Martin," Kanell said. 

The smart money is on the Cowboys figuring out what it takes to get Martin back on the field sooner rather than later, but every day that passes without a deal is one day closer to Martin not being in the lineup for the season. And that would be very bad for the Cowboys.