Although the Detroit Lions have both of their starting edge rushers, Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport, healthy, their defensive line has still been hit with plenty of injuries. These issues have piled up during training camp and the preseason. DT's Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, as well as DE's Josh Paschal and Ahmed Hassanein, are all dealing with injuries.
While McNeil and Paschal are expected to return during the season, Onwuzurike and Hassanein are not. Even so, Detroit may finally move on from one Lions player on cutdown day next week. Former third-round pick Brodric Martin is that player.
Lions Likely to Cut Brodric Martin Next Week
When general manager Brad Holmes selected Martin in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, he knew the Western Kentucky defensive tackle would need major development. That said, things have not gone as planned for the 26-year-old.
As a rookie, Martin played 16% of the defensive snaps in the three games he took part in, recording three tackles. Last year, in two games, he played 21% of the defensive snaps and recorded one tackle.
Furthermore, he finished the 2023 season with a pass rush grade of 53.4 and a run defense grade of 59.8, according to PFF. In 2024, Martin finished with a pass rush grade of 53.0 and a run defense grade of 42.5. Clearly, there was still a lot for him to improve on entering this offseason.
Despite that, the 26-year-old has yet to take that next step. Throughout training camp, Martin has continued to work with the third team, even with all the injuries. Moreover, he hasn't performed well during preseason games.
This preseason, he has a 90.7 pass rush grade, a 60.7 run defense grade, and a 56.7 overall grade. Though his pass rush grade is high, it is skewed thanks to recording a 92.0 grade against the Miami Dolphins. In the Lions' other two preseason games, he has a 58.1 and a 67,5 pass rush grade.
Given that Martin has failed to show improvement, the likely outcome is that he will be cut next week. Unfortunately, Martin has failed to live up to the hopes Holmes and Lions fans had for him.