49ers rookie's disappearing act needs to end as defense hangs on by a thread
The San Francisco 49ers won another nail-biter on Thursday night as they took down the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. The defense came up when it mattered most, but they could benefit from a potential boost in rookie linebacker Nick Martin.
The Niners selected Martin in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State. The presumption was that he would end up being a starter alongside Fred Warner at linebacker, but Martin's slow start and the emergence of Dee Winters pumped the brakes on that.
Martin had a rough preseason debut where he was missing tackles left and right, but he rebounded in the next few preseason games. 49ers legend NaVorro Bowman even spoke highly of Martin ahead of the preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers where Bowman is a coach.
Even despite that bounce back, Martin has been inactive for all five of San Francisco's games to begin the season even though he is healthy. It is only fair to wonder whether San Francisco regrets taking him so high in the draft when he has not had an impact thus far.
He has been riding the pine, but why not give him a chance on a defense that has been good but clearly needs an extra boost after losing edge rusher Nick Bosa for the rest of the season after an ACL tear?
When Martin is right, he is a guy with great pursuit who can rush downhill and was used as a blitzer during college. He had six sacks as a linebacker for the OSU Cowboys in 2023, so why not use him in that fashion?
San Francisco has just six sacks on the season, and two of them were from Bosa. The team ranks near the bottom of the league in sacks and has struggled to put pressure on the quarterback in the last few games.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is obviously a defensive genius and can scheme up great plays, but he is clearly limited by his personnel. Martin may not fix everything, but it would not hurt to try him out in some blitz packages and see if he could tee off on opposing quarterbacks.
Just rushing four is not going to cut it unless the Niners go out and swing a trade for an edge rusher.
That is why theyshould activate Martin and give him a shot as they try to put more pressure on the quarterback.
"Downgraded": Detroit Lions Have Brutal News For $60 Million Starter
Detroit Lions starting left tackle Taylor Decker underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason, and the injury flared up again after Week 1. He has been on the injury report since Week 2 and missed eight out of nine practice sessions over the past three weeks. Despite this, Decker has suited up every game so far, a testament to his toughness.
For the third consecutive week, Taylor Decker missed the entire week of practice, prompting the Lions to list him as questionable for Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to Adam Schefter, the team downgraded the Pro Bowl left tackle from questionable to doubtful, which would be a significant loss for the offensive line. They will release their inactive players list 90 minutes before kickoff, officially deciding Decker’s fate.
Who starts in his stead?
The plan is for Giovanni Manu to make his first career start at left tackle, with Taylor Decker not expected to play. The fourth-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft has only logged seven snaps in 2025 over his two-year NFL career after redshirting his rookie season. Manu will be tasked with blocking Bengals’ superstar EDGE rusher Trey Hendrickson, no easy task.
