Tag: Jacob Martin

Colts free-agent DE Jacob Martin signs with Bears

Jacob Martin is heading to the Bears.

Indianapolis Colts free-agent defensive end Jacob Martin agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears on Friday.

While the Colts have been busy re-signing a handful of their own players, Martin will be heading elsewhere after a solid campaign working as a rotational pass rusher.

Martin spent one season with the Colts, which came in 2023, and he fared pretty well considering his limited role.

In 17 games (no starts), Martin recorded 2.0 sacks and three quarterback hits on 16% of the defensive snaps. That may not seem all that significant, but he also added 14 total pressures and a team-high 17.3% pass-rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Colts have their solid rotation of four edge rushers so bringing back Martin would have been a luxury.

Now, he joins former Colts defensive coordinator and current Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

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Predicting the fate of every Colts’ pending free agent in 2024

Predicting which Colts’ free agents stay and go in 2024.

The Indianapolis Colts are just over a week away from the start of free agency, and there are some big decisions to make when it comes to the players set to hit the market.

Expected to have roughly 14 unrestricted free agents set to hit the market this offseason, the Colts won’t be able to bring all of them back. In fact, it’s likely that most of them find a new home in 2024.

The team’s current standing with the salary cap is among the strongest the NFL.

We took a look at the players the Colts should let walk into free agency and the players who should be re-signed this offseason.

Now, it’s time to predict the fate of every pending free agent for the Colts in 2024.

Grading the Colts’ 2023 free agent signings one year later

One year later, grading the Colts’ 2023 free agent signings.

With the benefit of hindsight, we now have a full season’s worth of information to judge the signings the Indianapolis Colts made during the 2023 offseason.

Some of them panned out better than expected. Others not so much.

Simply looking at the outside free agents brought onto the roster last offseason, we’re here to re-grade the signings the Colts made one year later. So we won’t be discussing the re-signings of players like Tyquan Lewis and E.J. Speed, both of which turned out exceptionally.

For reference, we’ll compare the initial grade we gave at the moment to how we currently feel about the signing.

Without further ado, here are our grades for the Colts’ free-agent class of 2023 one year later:

Ranking Colts’ pending free agents by importance

Ranking the Colts’ most important pending free agents.

The Indianapolis Colts have 14 players set to be unrestricted free agents this offseason with a number of players from that list who were major contributors for the team in 2023.

The Colts, despite having the fifth most cap space in the NFL (roughly $58.9 million) according to Over The Cap, will have to make some potentially tough decisions in regard to how they allocate those funds this offseason

Here, we are ranking these 14 players by their importance to retain for general manager Chris Ballard and Indianapolis in 2024.

 

Colts make several moves to roster, practice squad

The Colts made several more moves Thursday, including the addition of DE Jacob Martin to the active roster.

The Indianapolis Colts continued to tweak the active roster and practice squad Thursday ahead of the Week 1 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After making additional moves following roster cuts Wednesday, the Colts were back at it Thursday. They added another edge rusher to the mix while parting ways with a depth offensive lineman.

They also added a cornerback and tight end to the practice squad while releasing a linebacker and cornerback to make room.

Here are the moves the Colts made Thursday:

DE Jacob Martin models consistency for Texans defensive line

Houston Texans defensive end DeMeco Ryans has shown he can be a model of consistency for the new look defensive line.

No matter the scheme, Jacob Martin will find a way.

The 27-year-old is on his second tour of duty with the Houston Texans. After spending 2019-21 as an outside linebacker the first two years and then a defensive end for the final season, Martin left Houston in 2022 for the New York Jets and Denver Broncos.

With Denver revamping its coaching staff following the signing of Sean Payton, the former Seattle Seahawks 2018 sixth-round pick was out of a job for a couple of weeks in May until the Texans re-signed Martin.

Call it familiarity with the player or the player’s familiarity with DeMeco Ryans’ system via the Jets and Robert Saleh, but Houston believed they had a capable veteran in Martin.

Through two preseason games, the sixth-year pro has tallied 29 defensive snaps and four special teams reps, and is catching Ryans’ eye as a model of consistency.

“Jacob has done a good job in practice,” Ryans told reporters Monday. “He’s been consistent in practice, and he’s shown that ability to set the edge, to rush the passers, so I’m encouraged with some of the things that Jacob has done in practice and he went out there first in the game.”

While Martin was among the first 11 on the field for the Texans in their 28-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins Aug. 19, Ryans still clings to the notion “there are no starters” in preseason.

“It’s about us seeing what our team can actually look like, in giving guys multiple looks, multiple opportunities,” said Ryans.

What Martin has shown thus far is dependability, which is what the staff needs as they work to complete the rebuild.

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DE Jacob Martin ‘super excited’ to be back with the Texans

DE Jacob Martin spent 2022 with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets. However, the sixth-year pro is glad to be back with the Houston Texans.

HOUSTON — Any person who lives or has visited Houston, Texas, within the last three months knows it is hot.

Very hot. Some would describe it as scorching.

The news stations around the city have repeatedly warned about doing any physical activities outside if you can help it, and if you do, please proceed with caution to not over-exert yourself and have a heat stroke.

Houston Texans defensive end Jacob Martin must not watch the news, as he has constantly pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion in this Texas heat at training camp to prove to head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke that general manager Nick Caserio made the right decision by bringing him back to the team for a second run.

During the offseason, Martin signed a one-year deal with the team after he became a free agent when the Denver Broncos released him in May. His first stint with the Texans came in 2019 when he was part of a trade package between Houston and Seattle Seahawks for former edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

In Martin’s 45 games (15 starts) played with the Texans, he recorded 10.5 sacks. He became an unrestricted free agent after the 2021 season and signed a three-year deal with the New York Jets that lasted less than four months before he was traded to the Denver Broncos.

The atmosphere was very opaque around NRG Stadium back in 2020, with fan favorite and All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins being traded to the Arizona Cardinals by former head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien. It didn’t get any better heading into the next season, with all of the attention in camp and throughout the season revolving around a once-franchise player with an off-field scandal.

“It has truly been an amazing experience to be back,” said Martin after practice. “To see that the culture has grown since I was here previously. They are bringing good people on. Just in the building, with great energy there is a huge change of energy in the building. I am super excited and truly appreciative of the opportunity to be brought back.”

With rookie edge rusher Will Anderson, whom the Texans traded up to get with the third overall pick in this year’s draft, being added to a competitive defensive end group that consists of Jerry Hughes and Jonathan Greenard, Martin knows that every rep he receives will be valuable.

“We are out here competing every day,” Martin said about his position group. “The goal is not to have any drop-off, no matter what group is in there.”

The six-year veteran has shown over the years a skill set that has impressed coaches, including Ryans and Burke, during training camp, which is his uncanny ability to get off the line of scrimmage quickly as soon as the ball is snapped and cause havoc for the offensive lineman.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is one who has noticed every time Martin is on the opposite side of the ball. His constant ability to pressure the pocket with his speed rush makes Stroud account for him coming off the edge. On consecutive plays during one team drill Stroud had to maneuver to avoid being sacked by Martin.

“I have played a lot of football over the years,” said Martin about his approach. “I guess I just have a feeling; I feel when the ball is going to be snapped. It is almost like a tension in the air, and I have gotten pretty good at predicting that.”

Martin will have a chance during the preseason to show that he deserves to be a part of the defensive rotation when the regular season starts. That journey begins Thursday when the Texans play the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

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Texans sign ex-Broncos OLB, cut ex-Denver TE

The Texans signed ex-Broncos OLB Jake Martin and released ex-Denver TE Eric Tomlinson.

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It didn’t take long for Jake Martin to find a new home after being released by the Denver Broncos.

Martin, 27, was cut on May 10 in a move that saved the Broncos about $3.8 million in salary cap space. One and a half weeks later, Martin signed with the Houston Texans on a one-year deal.

This will mark Martin’s second stint with the team. He previously played in Houston from 2019-2021. Martin totaled six tackles and one sack in five appearances with the Broncos last season.

In addition to signing Martin, the Texans also released former Denver tight end Eric Tomlinson. The veteran tight end totaled nine receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games with the Broncos last fall.

Elsewhere on the free agency front, the Detroit Lions signed defensive lineman Christian Covington. Denver fans might recall that Covington went to training camp with the Broncos in 2020 but was unable to make the 53-man roster.

Former Denver outside linebacker Wyatt Ray also tried out for the Lions at their rookie minicamp but was not signed. Detroit also waived ex-Broncos cornerback Mac McCain earlier this month.

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Report: Texans bringing back DE Jacob Martin

The Houston Texans have brought back defensive end Jacob Martin, who was originally with the club from 2019-21.

The Houston Texans are bringing back one of the players they got in return for the Jadeveon Clowney trade at the end of the 2019 preseason.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans are bringing back defensive end Jacob Martin on a one-year contract.

Martin spent 2019-21 with the Texans, generating 30 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and four pass breakups through 45 games, 15 of which he started.

The former Seattle Seahawks 2018 sixth-round picked signed a three-year deal with the New York Jets during 2022 free agency. At the trade deadline, the Jets sent Martin and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for a 2024 fourth-rounder. Martin played five games for Denver before being placed on injured reserve. The Broncos released Martin on May 10.

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Jake Martin might be a candidate to re-sign with Broncos

Broncos coach Sean Payton hinted over the weekend that Jake Martin might be a candidate to re-sign with Denver.

The Denver Broncos had to do some roster juggling last week in order to fit their 15 undrafted free agent signings on the 90-man offseason roster.

One causality of the roster juggling was outside linebacker Jake Martin, who was cut last Wednesday in a move that saved about $3.8 million in salary cap space. During rookie minicamp last weekend, coach Sean Payton seemed to hint that Martin could be a candidate to return on a cheaper contract.

“Things are in flux,” Payton said on May 13. “We’re in that process where some of these guys may come back. It’s the hard thing when you’re trying to manage the numbers. If you sign an undrafted free agent to a contract, he counts towards your number.

“There might be a couple players that all of a sudden may be coming back to us in a week. I don’t want to go any further than that. It varies with each player, and I know Jake was one of them.”

After cutting four players on Monday and re-signing safety Kareem Jackson, the Broncos will have an open spot on the roster even after they sign XFL quarterback Ben DiNucci and running back Jacques Patrick. Time will tell if that open spot is being held for Martin.

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