Prior to Nick Martin joining the Washington Commanders’ roster 10 days ago, the last time the veteran center played alongside Carson Wentz was in 2016 during the Senior Bowl. The two are about to get a lot more familiar with each other.

Starting center Wes Schweitzer has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with a concussion. That means Martin will get his first start since the 2020 season. It is certainly a quick turnaround for one of the newest additions to the roster, but the six-year veteran has already made a strong impression on his coaches and teammates.

“Smart football player. He’s done a nice job of picking up what we do,” said head coach Ron Rivera. “He understands the game. He is very athletic. Great hand placement and like I said, he’s picked up what we do very quickly.”

Martin missed his rookie season because of an ankle surgery, but he was a key part of the Houston Texans’ offensive line from 2017-20 with 62 starts, 46 of which were consecutive. Martin played college football at the University of Notre Dame and was a two-time captain for the Fighting Irish. During his final season with the program, he allowed just three hurries, three hits and one sack.

From what offensive coordinator Scott Turner has seen, Martin has been “a pro” from the moment he arrived in Washington.

“He’s played in this league, started a lot of games,” Turner said. “He understands what’s at stake. He had a great job last week of studying and being ready to go in if we would’ve needed him in that game. He’s done well so far in practice.”

Martin’s first start will be against a Cowboys front that is the most productive in the league with 13 sacks. They have the highest adjusted sack rate, according to Football Outsiders, and Micah Parsons, who leads the team with four sacks, has the fourth highest Pro Football Focus grade among edge defenders.

Wentz is confident that Martin will handle himself.

“He’s a guy that’s been around,” Wentz said. “He understands it. He’s very locked in with the calls and everything, so I don’t think anybody has any doubts that he’ll be ready to go. I’m excited for him to get a chance.”

In other news concerning the offensive line, Charles Leno is listed as questionable with shoulder injury. He did not participate in Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury, although Rivera said he was worried about his status for Sunday.

Here is a look at some of the top quotes from running backs coach Randy Jordan’s Friday press conference.