HEADLINES

Jacob Martin

Jets To Send Jacob Martin To Broncos

November 1st, 2022 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Barely a half-hour after agreeing to send Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins, the Broncos are acquiring another edge player. They will land Jacob Martin from the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This is a pick-swap agreement, with Rapoport adding the Broncos will send a 2024 fourth-rounder to the Jets in exchange for Martin and a 2024 fifth. This is Martin’s second time being traded; he was part of the Seahawks and Texans’ 2019 Jadeveon Clowney deal.

Martin, 26, is a Denver-area native under contract through 2024. The Jets signed the former Seahawks and Texans edge defender to a three-year, $13.5MM deal this offseason. In eight Jets games as a backup, Martin registered 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. Martin’s departure figures to free up more playing time for first-round pick Jermaine Johnson.

A former Seahawks sixth-round pick in 2018, Martin has been a decent backup rusher. He has 15 career sacks and seven forced fumbles. In his lone starter season (2021 in Houston), the Temple alum registered a career-high four sacks and forced four fumbles. Martin will be asked to contribute to a pass rush that has seen injuries and today’s Chubb trade deplete it.

Denver has Randy Gregory on IR with a knee injury and Baron Browning on the mend due to a hip ailment. With Chubb gone, the AFC West team that possessed a training camp edge surplus needed bodies. Nik Bonitto and 2021 seventh-round pick Jonathon Cooper stand as Denver’s top available rushers. Martin, who is owed less than $700K the rest of the way this year, stands to contribute going forward. Martin is tied to $4.25MM and $3.5MM base salaries in 2023 and ’24, respectively.

The Jets feature a deep pass-rushing contingent, with Carl Lawson and John Franklin-Myers operating as the team’s starting D-ends. Chosen 26th overall after the Jets traded back into Round 1, Johnson has yet to play more than 34% of the team’s defensive snaps in a game. Johnson (1.5 sacks) and Vinny Curry reside as Gang Green’s backup edges.

Jets To Sign Jacob Martin

March 17th, 2022 at 7:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are signing edge rusher Jacob Martin (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Martin will head to New York a three-year, $13.5MM deal with $6MM guaranteed and the potential to earn even more via incentives. 

Martin, a sixth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2018, was part of the trade that sent Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle. Over his three years in Houston, Martin quietly turned himself into a key defensive cog. The Texans wanted to keep him, but the Jets ultimately came away with the highest bid.

In 2021, Martin made 14 starts and appeared in 61% of the Texans’ defensive snaps, both of which were new personal watermarks. While he posted only four sacks, Martin’s peripherals suggest that there was consistent pressure with room for continued growth.

Part of his success came from playing as a true 4-3 DE and Jets head coach Robert Saleh will keep him on that same track. Martin might not be as accomplished as other edge rushers they were chasing (like Chandler Jones), but he still offers lots of upside for Gang Green.

Texans, Jacob Martin Talking Contract

March 13th, 2022 at 10:27am CST by Rory Parks

Defensive end Jacob Martin, selected by the Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, was part of the package received by the Texans in the 2019 trade that sent Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle. Over his three years in Houston, Martin has quietly turned himself into a key component of the club’s defense, and as Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network writes, the Texans are actively discussing a new contract that would keep Martin off the open market when free agency opens this week.

In 2021, the Temple product started 14 games and appeared in 61% of the Texans’ defensive snaps, both of which represented career bests. While he posted only four sacks, his peripherals suggest that there is room for continued growth. As Wilson writes, Next Gen Stats credited Martin with the third-fastest “get-off” among all defensive players, behind only the Chargers’ Joey Bosa and the Steelers’ Alex Highsmith.

Pro Football Focus handed Martin a solid 67.3 overall score last season, which was also a career-high. The strides he has made are thanks in no small part to the fact that he was able to operate as a true 4-3 DE when Lovie Smith took over as defensive coordinator last year. Prior to that, Martin had worked as an outside linebacker in the Texans’ 3-4 scheme, which included pass coverage duties that he struggled to handle. With Smith having earned a promotion to head coach, the 4-3 alignment will remain.

Neither Martin nor fellow DE Jonathan Greenard are household names at this point, but they provide the rebuilding Texans with a young, talented, and fairly inexpensive foundation to build upon. Indeed, assuming Martin and the Texans are able to come to terms on a multi-year deal, it’s unlikely to include an eight-figure AAV, and Greenard has two seasons left on his rookie contract.

In related news, the Texans recently worked out former Broncos WR DaeSean Hamilton, as Wilson tweets. Hamilton was officially waived last week, and though the 2018 fourth-rounder was unable to carve out a consistent role in Denver, his size and raw talent figure to get him another opportunity somewhere. It’s unclear if that opportunity will come in Houston, as the Texans re-upped Chris Conley after meeting with Hamilton.

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/25-12/26/21

December 26th, 2021 at 11:05pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Christmas and today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Steven Sims

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/20/21

December 20th, 2021 at 10:23pm CST by Ben Levine

A long list of players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. We listed the players who landed on the list today, as well as those who were activated off the list:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE John Franklin-Myers, DB Sharrod Neasman

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/20

November 17th, 2020 at 5:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Latest On Texans’ COVID-19 Situation

November 5th, 2020 at 1:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans are working remotely Thursday and found out they will be without at least three linebackers this week. Jacob Martin tested positive for COVID-19, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Additionally, Whitney Mercilus has been deemed a high-risk close contact and will go on the Texans’ reserve/COVID-19 list. The Texans placed Mercilus and linebacker Dylan Cole on their COVID list, where guard Max Scharping remains.

Romeo Crennel said Martin and Scharping have experienced mild symptoms, per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Obtained in 2019’s Jadeveon Clowney trade, Martin has two sacks for the Texans this season. Given a recent extension, Mercilus is tied for the team lead with three midway through his ninth season in Houston. The Texans are down to two outside linebackers, with Kyle Emanuel in concussion protocol, and three inside ‘backers ahead of their Week 9 game.

The Texans join the Bears, Broncos, Cardinals, Packers, Ravens and 49ers as teams who have dealt with new COVID-19 developments this week. The U.S. documented more than 100,000 cases Wednesday, marking the first time the number entered six-figure territory since the pandemic began. As of 1:30pm CT, the NFL is proceeding with Green Bay’s Thursday game in San Francisco, despite both the Packers and 49ers having position groups decimated by the league’s coronavirus protocols. The Texans’ game in Jacksonville remains scheduled for noon CT Sunday.

Texans LB Jacob Martin To Become Every Down Player?

February 9th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Linebacker Jacob Martin proved himself as a solid rotational pass-rusher for the Texans this season. Martin is aiming to make an even bigger contribution going forward.  According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Martin plans to bulk up and put on some weight this offseason in hopes he can play a more expanded role along Houston’s defensive front.

Listed at 6-2, 242 pounds, Martin was ineffective against the run in early down situations. With that said, he’s shown an effective ability as an edge pass-rusher on long third downs. Still, Martin was on the field for just 21 percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season. In that limited sample, Martin managed 11 combined tackles, 7 quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Houston acquired Martin from the Seahawks earlier this year alongside Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Many panned Houston’s decision to wait as long as they did to trade Clowney (who had been franchised for the entirety of the offseason). Several defensive linemen like Dee Ford and Frank Clark had been in similar situations to Clowney, but were traded early in the offseason and each recouped greater draft compensation than Houston received for Clowney.

Mingo a former top pick, has yet to be more than a role player in Houston and at his age (29) is unlikely to amount to much more than that. Martin, on the other hand, was selected by the Seahawks in the sixth round out of Temple two years ago and just turned 24 years old in December.

While it still appears the Texans did not extract maximum value for Clowney, if Martin can take another step in his development, Houston could still be satisfied with their return.

Draft Pick Signings: 5/4/18

May 4th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s draft signings.

  • On the same day the Packers cut Justin Vogel, their 2017 punter, they signed fifth-round pick J.K. Scott. Vogel requested to be waived, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets, because of the odds seemingly stacked against him to win the Green Bay job against a highly (for a punter) drafted rookie rather than catching on elsewhere before a training camp begins. This clears the way for Scott, whom the Packers selected at No. 172 overall out of Alabama. Green Bay also signed the long snapper drafted in the seventh round, Hunter Bradley, who played at Mississippi State.
  • The Jets signed sixth-round running back Trenton Cannon on their first day of rookie minicamp. Cannon played at Division II Virginia State.
  • The Seahawks also announced they signed draft picks Will Dissly, Jacob Martin and Michael Dickson. Dissly will stay in Seattle after playing at the University of Washington. The Seahawks selected the blocking tight end in the fourth round. One of the six linebackers Seattle either drafted or signed as a UDFA, Martin arrived in the sixth round out of Temple. Dickson (Texas) ended up as the first punter drafted this year, going off the board at No. 149.