Getty Bears DE Daniel Hardy has had a strong preseason.
Veteran pass rusher Jacob Martin signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears this offseason worth just under $1.3 million.
Martin, 28, has appeared in 91 games since entering the league in 2018, also starting 15 games in that span. In June and July, many analysts had Martin as a lock to make Chicago’s 53-man roster, including Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire and Bears insiders Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. A great deal can change in a few months, however.
The hope was that Martin would provide depth on the defensive line, but he suffered “a left foot or ankle injury at the outset of camp,” according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Martin hasn’t played in either of Chicago’s two preseason contests so far, and that has hurt him.
In their latest 53-man roster projection on August 8, Jahns and Fishbain don’t have Martin making the final roster. “Jacob Martin’s injury may heighten the need to add an edge rusher before Week 1. After a promising spring, we haven’t seen him in two weeks,” Fishbain wrote.
Will Chicago Bears Cut Veteran Pass Rusher Jacob Martin?
Considering the team doesn’t have a huge fiscal commitment to Martin, cutting him remains a definite possibility. A journeyman defensive end, he has played for five different teams over the last six seasons, including the Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.
Martin played in all 17 games for the Colts last year, playing 17% of Indy’s defensive snaps. He had 2.0 sacks, a tackle-for-loss and three quarterback hits.
The emergence of young pass rushers in Martin’s absence has been notable, though, with rookie Austin Booker and Daniel Hardy, who spent the bulk of the 2023 season on Chicago’s practice squad, both having strong preseasons so far. That could leave Martin on the outside looking in when roster cuts are made.
“Seeing Hardy on special teams in practice with some of the regulars feels like a good sign for him. So he takes the spot once held by Martin,” Jahns reasoned in his newest projection.
Cutting a more established veteran in favor of a promising young player who lacks experience is something the Bears have done in the past.
Just last year, Chicago signed veteran quarterback P.J. Walker to a two-year deal worth $4.15 million. The Bears wound up cutting Walker in favor of undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent, and it worked out well, as Bagent went 2-2 as a backup, a role he still holds this season.
Can New Bears Edge Rusher Daniel Hardy Make the Team’s 53-Man Roster?
Daniel Hardy got the sack on this play, and he played well against the Bills, but look at the power Austin Booker generated on this rush.
Booker knocked back the RG and turned him around. The power rush collapsed the pocket and forced the QB to move. Hardy used the spin move…
Hardy, 25, was a 2022 seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams (235th overall). He spent much of his 2022 campaign on injured reserve with an ankle injury and was ultimately released prior to the start of the 2023 season.
The Bears scooped him up after that.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Hardy played just 41 snaps on defense and 128 on special teams for the Rams in 2022, but he could find a more significant role with the Bears if he continues to play well.
Hardy showed up in a big way in Chicago’s 33-6 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. He finished with five tackles (two for loss), three quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks. He also had a tackle-for-loss in the Hall of Fame game against Houston. If Hardy can continue to be disruptive and get into opponents’ backfields, he’ll make a strong case for making the Bears’ final roster.
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Bears Predicted to Cut 91-Game Veteran in Favor of Former 7th-Round Edge