Jacob Martin is beginning his second season with the Houston Texans, and the outside linebacker is optimistic about it.
The former 2018 sixth-round pick from Temple was part of the trade with the Seattle Seahawks that sent edge defender Jadeveon Clowney to the NFC West. The trade was executed on Aug. 31, and the 23-year-old had a week to get ready for the Texans’ season opener at the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
One of the reasons Martin is hopeful about 2020 is the promotion of defensive line coach Anthony Weaver to defensive coordinator.
“I learned a lot from him this year working with some of the other guys up front,” Martin told Drew Dougherty of Texans TV. “He’s a young dude. He’s played the game. He understands the game. He brings a lot of energy. He’s just a good guy to be around. He’s a super-smart guy you can lean on.”
Martin collected 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, seven quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his 14 games for Houston. The 6-2, 242-pound edge defender did not register a start as he was mostly a special teams contributor.
While Martin intends to help the team in whatever capacity is asked of him, the goal is always improvement. As COVID-19 has brought the entire world to gridlock, Martin continues to work on his strength and conditioning. The outside linebacker has consulted with strength and conditioning coach Mike Eubank on creating a home gym that will help him train for 2020.
“I’m excited to be back another year with the guys, to grow and to learn within the system and to play for Weave and the new members of the staff that they added,” said Martin. “I’m very optimistic about the things that we’re capable of and the things that we’ll achieve from a defensive standpoint and a team standpoint this year.”
