The Houston Texans were a team comprised of players on expiring contracts and one-year deals in 2021, which leaves a bevy of decisions for general manager Nick Caserio and new coach Lovie Smith to deal with as they form the 2022 incarnation.
One player who is set to hit free agency is defensive end Jacob Martin, one of the two players, along with a 2020 third-round pick, the Texans picked up in their trading of Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks.
According to Hall of Fame scouting and personnel Gil Brandt from NFL.com, the Texans need to make an effort to retain Martin.
According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Texans could be moving on from Martin — but I think that would be a mistake. The 26-year-old put up a positive performance in an otherwise dreary 2021, leading Houston in pressures (38) and turnovers caused by pressure (three), according to NGS. The Texans figure to be in for another year of rebuilding, and it’s never a bad thing for a team in that situation to hang on to promising young talent with growth potential.
Martin has been the only consistent player since the Texans-Seahawks trade at the end of the 2019 preseason. The former Seahawks 2018 sixth-round pick has tallied 10.5 sacks since arriving in Houston. Barkevious Mingo generated 2.5 with the Chicago Bears in 2020 and is out of football. Clowney had 3.0 sacks in two years with as many teams with the Seahawks in 2019 and the Tennessee Titans in 2020. The former 2014 No. 1 overall pick had 9.0 with the Cleveland Browns in 2021 to finally overtake Martin for 12.0 since 2019.
What may also influence the Texans to move on from Martin is the production that Jonathan Greenard has given in his two seasons. This past year was a step for the former 2020 third-round pick from Florida as he tallied 8.0, the most for a Texans defender since Whitney Mercilus’ 7.5 in 2019.
Martin cost the Texans $920,000 last season according to Over The Cap.
