Despite another disappointing loss for the Denver Broncos last week, the team’s new outside linebacker Jacob Martin gave fans some reason to celebrate.

Martin was traded to the Denver Broncos on Nov. 1, during the team’s bye week. The trade brought Martin, a Colorado native, back to his home state.

With the team’s positional core being depleted with injuries, the hope was that Martin would bring some much-needed depth.

In his debut as a Bronco, Martin recorded his first sack and had a solo tackle. While the team is currently down, it seems that Martin has brought some new bursts energy with him.

Born and Raised in Colorado

Martin was born and raised in Aurora, CO. 

He played defensive end at Cherokee Trail High School. Martin finished an impressive senior season with 44 tackles (27 solos), eight tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.

He then committed to Temple University as a journalism major.

In 2014, he made his collegiate debut in Week 1 against Vanderbilt. Martin spent the season as a core special teams player and made some contributions on defense. His first career start came in Week 10 vs. East Carolina.

As a sophomore, he recorded his first career sack against Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg and recovered his first fumble at East Carolina.

In his junior season, Martin was awarded a single-digit jersey. Temple awards single digits to players designated as the toughest players voted on by teammates. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken foot late in his junior season in 2016.

However, Martin finally earned an opportunity to become a mainstay at starter when the Arizona Cardinals drafted Temple teammate Haason Reddick in 2017.

Martin immediately made the most out of the chance. 

He played in all 13 games in his senior season. In Week 4, Martin strip-sacked South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers, recovering the ball and taking it back 44-yards for a touchdown.

That year, Martin was a second-team All-American Athletic Conference pick. He finished the year leading the team in sacks (8.0), second in tackles for loss (11.0), first in fumble recoveries (2), and tied for second in forced fumbles (2).

Returning to His Home State after Bouncing around NFL

The Seattle Seahawks drafted Martin in the sixth round as the 186th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite no starts, Martin appeared in all 16 games in his rookie season and had two forced fumbles.

On August 31, 2019, the Seahawks traded Martin with outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for Jadeveon Clowney. 

In Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts, Martin recorded his first sack as a Texan. In the AFC Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills, Martin sacked Josh Allen and recovered a fumble in their 22–19 overtime win.

While in Houston for three seasons, Martin had 10.5 sacks, 54 tackles (24 solo), and four forced fumbles. He scored for the first time of his career with the safety in 2021. 

On March 17, 2022, the New York Jets signed Martin to a three-year $16.5 million deal.

But then, on Nov. 1, 2022, Martin was traded along with a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for Bradley Chubb and a 2024 fourth-round pick.

He said of returning to his home, Centennial State, “It makes my heart happy,” per DenverBroncos.com.

Per Pro Football Focus, Martin has 13 quarterback hurries, 1 hit, 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble this year. His 66.5 overall grade ranks him 53 among NFL edge rushers in 2022.

For the Broncos, he started his first game with the team in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans. And while the game was a disappointing loss for Denver, Martin shined. He recorded his first sack as a Bronco and had a solo tackle.

With the news that the team will now be down another linebacker with the loss of Jonas Griffith, they’re going to be even more reliant on Martin.

Martin and the Broncos (3-6) will take on the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) in Denver on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. MST.