While Will McDonald and Bryce Huff will not be part of Robert Saleh‘s first Titans defensive line — at least, they’re not involved presently — we now have a fourth ex-Saleh-era Jet D-lineman bound for Tennessee.
Jacob Martin is signing a two-year Titans deal, NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweets. He follows Jermaine Johnson, John Franklin-Myers and Solomon Thomas as former Saleh Jets D-linemen reuniting in Nashville. Martin is reuniting with Saleh on a two-year deal worth up to $11MM.
Johnson, Martin, Thomas and Franklin-Myers were all teammates on the 2022 Jets. Martin was a short-lived Jet, to be fair, with the team sending him to the Broncos at the 2022 deadline — as Denver needed EDGE depth following its Bradley Chubb trade. Martin spent last season with the Commanders, with whom he enjoyed a career-best season.
Martin, 30, registered 5.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hits during his lone Washington campaign. A Commanders team that underinvested at edge rusher used Martin as a 14-game starter, playing him in front of all-time great Von Miller (though, Miller led the team with nine sacks). Washington has since made big moves to bolster its front, signing Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson. Miller remains a free agent, while Martin will see a nice contract bump after playing last season for $2.59MM.
The Titans began this reunion committee of sorts by hiring Aaron Whitecotton as D-line coach. They they traded T’Vondre Sweat for Johnson, deeming the latter a better fit for Saleh’s 4-3 scheme. Franklin-Myers signed a three-year, $63MM deal; the Jets had traded the interior D-lineman during the 2024 draft, but he played a lead role for the team during Saleh’s first three seasons. Tennessee then added Thomas in a low-level pick-swap trade — the Cowboys gave up the nine-year veteran to move up just eight spots in the draft — before this Martin agreement came to pass.
While it is safe to assume Jeffery Simmons may be left out of some inside jokes in the near future, the All-Pro D-tackle will still be anchoring the Titans’ D-line. Though, the Martin addition does make it possible — with both he and Johnson DEs and Thomas and Franklin-Myers DTs — to roll out a Jets alumni foursome in certain packages.
A ninth-year vet, Martin has been a solid rotational option in his career. He has been traded twice, being part of the 2019 Jadeveon Clowney-to-Seattle swap before his Denver trek, and started 29 games. He has 26.5 career sacks, and the 18 QB hits with Washington were 10 more than the former Seattle sixth-rounder had ever compiled in a season. The Titans will be the Colorado native’s eighth NFL team.
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