The Ron Rivera draft classes keep dwindling in number, but he may have found one stud in 2023 second-round pick Quan Martin, who is entrenched as a starter at safety for Dan Quinn this season.
He finally got to play alongside an elite corner in Marshon Lattimore on Sunday in New Orleans, and even he still can’t believe what happened in the last few minutes.
“There was a lot going on there, but we're just trying to stay poised in that moment; we talk about that all the time, and we got the opportunity to finish the game and we did,” Martin told JP Finlay and Tobi Altizer Thursday. “It was great having (Lattimore) out there with us. It was awesome – I don’t think they targeted his side of the field at all, so just his presence was huge.”
And now, the Commanders get Jon Allen back, at least in practice, as the team has opened his 21-day window for a return to IR – which means, if they see him as ready to return from a torn pec in the next three weeks, they could be adding a second Pro Bowler to an improving defense for a potential playoff run, if not down the stretch somewhere.
“There’s two great players that we can use late in the season to just come out, keep the motor running fast, and just build off of it. Having those guys back out here just means a lot for this team and our defense,” Martin said. “Just being comfortable in the system, knowing where to be and when to be there, and what to expect from coach so we can go out and execute the defense properly has been huge so far.”
Even with everything that’s gone on and is still to come, though, this year is already light years different than Martin’s rookie season at the end of the Rivera era.
“Every moment is special with these guys, and just having the opportunity to go out there and compete with some of the best against some of the best is awesome,” Martin said. “It just shows the team chemistry, the bond we have, and it really translates from the field. So we’ve been able to take it one game at a time and put ourselves in the best position to be successful, and have this opportunity to continue in the postseason.”
And for him, it’s much better being entrenched in the middle, as opposed to being a versatile jack of all trade like Rivera envisioned him as, and having some key veterans added to the mix.
“It’s allowed me to play faster. This is one of the first times in my career where I've just been able to play one position on the field, so it definitely comes with some understanding of the position, understanding of the game a lot better, and just seeing it from one point of view and just being able to play as fast as possible,” Martin said. “It’s been great with all the new pieces we’ve added all around. A bunch of great dudes in the building, which makes it easy to go out and compete for the guy next to you when you know he’s got your back. It’s been awesome, hard to put in words.”
Take a listen to Martin’s entire visit, as he also discusses Joe Whitt's aggressive defense, reflects on the first game against Philly, and more!