On Aug. 31, Jacob Martin became a member of the Houston Texans. He found himself residing in Harris County after the Seattle Seahawks traded him as part of a package for Jadeveon Clowney. At the time, he was a lesser-known commodity.
Months later, Martin, No. 54, shined on “Sunday Night Football” in a 28-22 win over the New England Patriots. Playing in a career-high 45 snaps, the second-year outside linebacker tallied 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits on Tom Brady.
Martin’s productive performance on prime time should not come as a surprise to those watching him practice. When playing against his own teammates, he’s an active dynamo.
“All I know about Jacob Martin is he plays 100 miles an hour and he’s a great teammate,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Monday. “He’s awesome in the locker room, meetings, you should see the way the guy practices. I mean, he practices, he’s out there every day, he doesn’t complain about it, he just goes to work.”
Martin’s willingness in practice has translated onto the playing field. In back-to-back weeks, the Temple product has sacks, tallying 2.5 in two straight wins. Non-coincidentally, he saw a 21-snap uptick between the two weeks, playing the majority of snaps in place of injured starter Brennan Scarlett in Week 13.
“I think when you have that type of work ethic, you’re to going to get better, and I think that’s what Jacob does,” O’Brien said. “He tries to approach every day and tries to get better.”
The Texans pass rush has struggled mightily without J.J. Watt, who is on the injured reserve with a torn pectoral. Martin isn’t Watt; however, he can offer Houston’s favorite football team with a hard-working attitude, speed, electrifying athleticism and rounding-out game off the edge.
Moving forward, expect Martin to see increased snaps as an edge defender in the Texans defense, particularly as a situational pass-rusher. After all, in only 69 snaps, he is, statistically, their best pass-rusher in an impressive back-to-back win-streak.
