The Chiefs should have given Brodric Martin a more meaningful look while they had him on the roster.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a need at defensive tackle, brought in developmental defensive tackles, refused to try those defensive tackles, and have now lost one of those new(er) defensive tackles.
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the signing of Brodric Martin, a defensive tackle who has spent the season’s first half on the Chiefs’ practice squad. Pittsburgh’s move gives Martin a spot on a team’s active roster after waiting 9 games for a chance to impress the Chiefs.
Martin first joined the Chiefs as a preseason addition shortly before Week 1, along with Zacch Pickens, also a defensive tackle. The pair were former high draft picks who flamed out early with the teams that selected them, giving K.C. a couple of flyers to coach up on the practice squad in case a change of scenery was all either player needed.
The Detroit Lions selected Martin as a heralded run-stuffer in the third round of the 2023 draft at No. 96 overall. Injuries didn’t help Martin’s cause in Detroit as he failed to make the sort of envisioned impact after making the professional leap from Western Kentucky. However, Martin was also his own worst enemy with consistency issues that drove his coaches crazy.
The Chiefs should have given Brodric Martin a more meaningful look while they had him on the roster.
The issue for the Chiefs is not really about Martin in this instance. It’s very possible—even likely—that the Chiefs brought Martin in for a long look on the practice squad and determined that his talent and efforts were unworthy of promoting him any higher. The Lions would have never let him go if they thought he could contribute to the roster, and now the Chiefs have basically said the same. So, again, the issue is not Martin himself.
Instead, however, it’s hard to imagine how Martin couldn’t be worth a look in an actual NFL game—same with Pickens. The Chiefs even decided to swap draft spots with the New York Jets to bring back Derrick Nnadi, who has been a below-average performer for years, in a preseason deal because they didn’t like the talent level along the defensive interior.
Most recently, the Chiefs signed Mike Pennel before Week 9 after the veteran asked for his release from the Cincinnati Bengals. Pennel played 30 percent of snaps on Sunday, a sign of just how much the Chiefs needed immediate help along the trenches. But both Nnadi and Pennel are known quantities, the former uninspired, so it seems odd that K.C. wouldn’t at least try someone new for a single game, even for a few snaps.
If the Chiefs know they’re operating with a talent deficit at the position, the decision to continue leaning on the same frustrating formula is maddening. No one is saying Pickens or Martin is a star in the making. No one would even think they deserve significant rotational snaps. It’s just hard to imagine that trying one of those players out for a single series isn’t an experiment worth making.
Now the Steelers have removed one of those options from the Chiefs, who were likely never going to give either a chance anyway. It’s unlikely Martin makes any real mark for the Steelers, and Pickens is likely to languish on the Chiefs’ practice squad for the rest of the year. But given the lack of any trade deadline help, it sure would be nice if K.C. would try to exhibit some different way of thinking up front.
