NY Jets sign high-upside pass rush depth in DE Jacob Martin

The NY Jets aren't done adding to their defense in free agency just yet as they reportedly agreed to terms with former Houston Texans pass rusher Jacob Martin on Thursday morning.

As first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Jets have signed Martin to a three-year, $13.5 million contract with $6 million in guarantees and a total maximum value of $16.5 million with incentives.

The Jets were reportedly one of the finalists for star pass rusher Chandler Jones before he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday. They were never going to go high enough to land Jones, but their interest proved that pass rusher was still high on their list of priorities.

That was solidified on Thursday when they landed a young pass rusher in Martin whose best days could still be ahead of him.

Jacob Martin is young depth for the NY Jets pass rush

A sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Martin spent the first year of his career with the Seattle Seahawks recording three sacks in 16 games before he was traded to the Houston Texans.

Over the last three years, Martin has developed into a quality rotational edge rusher picking up at least three sacks in every year of his career. He's coming off arguably the best season of his NFL career as well.

The Texans switched to a 4-3 defense under Lovie Smith in 2021 and the change appeared to suit Martin who took on a larger role in the defense. He played 61 percent of snaps finishing with four sacks and 38 pressures in 17 games — all of which were career-highs.

Martin is a high-motor, athletic edge rusher who some believe could be on the verge of a breakout. At worst, he's more-than-capable depth on a defensive line that Robert Saleh loves to rotate frequently.

At best, he's someone who could take that next step in New York and possibly exceed expectations. His addition also provides further draft flexibility by adding another reliable contributor at a major position of need.

The Jets still seem likely to address pass rusher early in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the addition of Jacob Martin is a rock-solid depth signing of a player who possesses more upside than your typical depth edge rusher.

Another savvy move by Joe Douglas.