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- Mar 19, 2019
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Martin enjoyed a decorated career at Minnesota before a late-season knee injury in 2019 required surgery. A fifth-round pick by Green Bay last April, Martin staked a legitimate claim for a starting linebacker spot opposite veteran Christian Kirksey despite lacking a physical offseason program.
After a six-week layoff, Martin picked up where he left off alongside fellow rookie Krys Barnes, the undrafted free agent who has been wearing the communication helmet since veteran Kirksey landed on IR with a pectoral injury.
Martin played sparingly in the first half against the Texans, with the Packers pairing safety Raven Greene with Barnes in the box in sub-packages, but plans quickly changed when Barnes exited with a shoulder injury after the first play of third quarter.
Pressed into action as the every-down linebacker, Martin made an emphatic first impression when he put tight end Darren Fells on his heels to drop Texans running back David Johnson for a 1-yard loss on second-and-goal from the Green Bay 2.
On second-and-6, with a little more than 9 minutes left in the game, Martin kept his feet moving and shot the gap to pop Johnson again to hold the veteran back to a 1-yard gain.
"It was just fun to get out there and play football again," Martin said. "I hadn't played football in a while after I got hurt last year (at Minnesota). So it was just fun to get out there and fly around and just play ball again, knowing what I do and play how I play."
Martin displayed his athleticism when dropping into coverage, as well. He contributed to the Packers forcing the Texans into a three-and-out midway through the third quarter when Martin and nickel cornerback Chandon Sullivan converged on former Packers receiver Randall Cobb to force the incompletion.
This was the type of impact Green Bay was hoping Martin could make in the middle of Mike Pettine's defense when it drafted the 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker in the spring.