Tag: Jake Martin

Bears agree to terms with DE Jake Martin

The Bears made a move at edge rusher, agreeing to terms with Jake Martin on a one-year deal.

The Chicago Bears have finally made a move at edge rusher — but it’s not a big splash like many were hoping for.

The Bears agreed to terms with defensive end Jake Martin on a one-year deal on Saturday.

Martin, 28, was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He’s appeared in 91 NFL games, including 15 starts, during his six-year career with the Seahawks (2018), Houston Texans (2019-21), Denver Broncos (2022), New York Jets (2022) and Indianapolis Colts (2023).

In six career NFL seasons, Martin has totaled 85 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 18.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and four pass breakups.

Martin joins a defensive end group also featuring star Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson and Khalid Kareem. There’s still plenty of work to be done at the position by general manager Ryan Poles — be it in free agency and/or the NFL draft.

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

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

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”afe1e038-d3c2-49c0-922d-6511a229f69c” cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

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.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

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.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Broncos cut OLB Jake Martin, save $3.8M in salary cap space

By releasing OLB Jake Martin, the Broncos will save about $3.8M in 2023 salary cap space.

The Denver Broncos have released veteran pass rusher Jake Martin, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

Martin (6-2, 242 pounds) was scheduled to earn $4,823,534 this fall after being acquired in a trade with the New York Jets last season.

The Broncos will eat $1 million worth of “dead money” that was guaranteed in Martin’s contract while creating a net savings of $3,823,529 in 2023 salary cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.

After trading Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins in November, Denver sent a 2024 fourth-round draft pick to the Jets in exchange for Martin and a 2024 fifth-round draft pick. He appeared in five games last season, totaling one sack.

Before going from New York to Denver, Martin previously spent time with the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks. He will now become a 27-year-old free agent with 16 career sacks on his resume.

The Broncos have to make five roster cuts this week to make room for their undrafted free agent signings. Martin was the first cut and he will likely be the most notable cut.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Broncos’ updated OLB depth chart after the NFL draft

The Broncos have two clear starters in Baron Browning and Randy Gregory at OLB with several intriguing young players behind them.

OLB1 OLB2 Depth ST
Baron Browning Randy Gregory Jake Martin Aaron Patrick
Jonathon Cooper Nik Bonitto Christopher Allen Thomas Incoom
Marcus Haynes

After not selecting a pass rusher in the 2023 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos’ outside linebacker depth chart only features a few additions since April.

Leading the way as the team’s starting edge defenders are Baron Browning and Randy Gregory, who will aim to stay healthy this season and live up to their potential. Behind them are Jonathon Cooper, a nine-game starter as an injury fill-in last year, and Nik Bonitto, who will look to take a step forward in 2023 after an underwhelming rookie season.

After those top four OLBs, things get a little interesting. Jake Martin has totaled 16 sacks in 74 games (16 starts) with four teams over the last five years. Unless he’s cut to save salary cap space ($3.8 million), Martin figures to be part of the pass-rush rotation in 2023.

Update: Martin was released on Wednesday.

Christopher Allen missed all of his rookie season in 2022 on injured reserve with a foot injury, but he was one of the team’s top undrafted free agent signings last year and could be a sleeper to watch for this summer.

Aaron Patrick was a key special teams player for Denver before he tore his ACL last year. If he fully recovers from that knee injury, he should have a decent chance to make the team once again as an ST contributor.

Thomas Incoom and Marcus Haynes are among the team’s UDFA signings this year. They will likely be competing for spots on the practice squad.

The Broncos carried six OLBs on their initial 53-man roster in 2022.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=482983128]