Jacob Martin, a name many of us remember from his time in the Emerald City, hit a career-high 6.5 sacks through eight games, putting him among the NFL’s elite pass rushers. This dude is absolutely tearing it up for the Tennessee Titans, and honestly, seeing a former Seahawk thrive like this, especially when our own squad just took a tough 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears, really makes you think.
A Former Hawk’s Unexpected Breakout Season
It’s wild to see Jacob Martin, who was famously part of the Jadeveon Clowney trade way back before the 2019 season, still hanging around the league in his ninth season. He’s been a rotational pass rusher for a bunch of teams after leaving Seattle: the Texans, Jets, Broncos, Colts, Commanders, and now he’s in Nashville. But this season, man, this is different. It’s hands down his best to date, and he’s proving to be one of the NFL’s top guys at sacking the quarterback.
He had a monster game against the Cincinnati Bengals, taking down Joe Burrow not once, not twice, but *three* times in their wild 43-36 overtime loss. That three-sack performance pushed him to 6.5 sacks for the season through just eight games. Think about that for a second. Only T.J. Watt, Will Anderson, Chase Young, and Greg Rousseau have more sacks than Martin. That’s some serious company for a guy who’s been primarily a rotational player for nearly a decade. At 30 years old, Martin is the definition of a late bloomer. He had a solid 5.5 sacks last season with the Commanders, but as a starter on the Titans, he’s putting up seriously impressive numbers under Robert Saleh. He leads the Titans with 21 pressures, and his 7 quick pressures, which happen within 2.5 seconds, have him on pace to match, if not surpass, his previous career high of 16. He’s also already got 14 QB hits, only four fewer than his total from all of last season, and his tackles for loss are already a career high. While his 11.4% pressure rate might seem modest, the man is absolutely turning those pressures into sacks, and that’s what counts.
What Jacob Martin’s Success Means For Our Hawks
While Martin is absolutely feasting in Nashville, our Seahawks are clearly navigating some rough waters, especially after that 34-17 L to the Chicago Bears. It’s tough to watch, and it puts into perspective just how important a consistent pass rush is. Martin’s one-year, $9 million contract with the Titans is looking like an absolute steal, and it’s definitely setting him up for a much bigger deal next offseason.
And this is where it really hits home for us, the 12s. The source says that next offseason, Seattle will likely be overhauling its edge rush unit. The timing of Martin’s breakout season couldn’t be more poignant. Seeing a former Seahawk, who we remember as a solid but not elite player, now leading the league in a key stat, really highlights what we might be missing and what our coaching staff, Mike Macdonald and Brian Fleury, will need to address. We need guys who can consistently get after the quarterback, and Martin is proving that even a rotational player can explode into a top-tier threat.
Martin’s incredible success proves just how vital a dominant pass rush is in this league. For us, the 12s, with our team taking tough hits like that recent loss to Chicago, the focus shifts even more to what’s coming next. The front office knows it: Seattle will likely be overhauling its edge rush unit next offseason. Seeing a guy like Martin explode after being a rotational player just confirms what we already know: we need players who can consistently disrupt the pocket. We’ll be watching closely to see how our team addresses this critical need as the season progresses. What moves are they going to make to ensure we get that kind of disruption on the field? We need answers, and we need them fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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