The Tennessee Titans have not only been making big splashes in NFL Free Agency, but they've also been making the smaller moves that will still create ripples and upgrade the depth on the roster.
The theme of the offseason for the Titans, up to this point, has been a combination of signing a high volume of free agents and bringing in players with ties to either head coach Robert Saleh or offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The team's latest signing of pass rusher Jacob Martin is right on brand.
The Titans have reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with the veteran defensive end, worth up to $11 million in total money. Martin brings not only familiarity with Robert Saleh's defense but also an important presence on special teams.
Jacob Martin is an underrated signing for the Titans amidst big spending spree
Martin not only has connections to Saleh from their time together with the New York Jets, but also with Titans defensive coordinator Gus Bradley from way back when he was with the Indianapolis Colts.
Martin has been in the NFL for a long time, and has played for a lot of different teams, but the fact that he's floated around the NFL as a journeyman is not really a great indicator of what he's brought to the table in terms of quality play, both defensively and on special teams.
Last season for the Commanders, Martin had a career-high 18 quarterback hits, 5.5 sacks, and 26 total pressures (according to Pro Football Reference). He's played over 1,100 special teams snaps in his career, and is closing in on 3,000 defensive snaps as well.
The Titans aren't going to ask him to play over 60 percent of the snaps like he did last year for Dan Quinn in Washington, in all likelihood, but the fact that he's capable of it is notable. It's been an aggressive offseason for the Titans' new brain trust, but you can only address and fix so much in one offseason.
Players like Jacob Martin might not sell a bunch of jerseys or move the needle tremendously, but he does help raise the floor in some key areas: Pass rush and special teams. When you can add players like that for really reasonable prices, it's just good business.
And frankly, even with the more expensive moves the Titans have made, it feels like a lot of good business this offseason. The Titans are taking the right approach to bulk-buying in free agency, rolling with players who have connections to the staff as well as good track records of production.