Earlier this week, the Las Vegas Raiders signed linebacker Blake Martinez to the practice squad. On Friday, they signed him to the active roster.
Martinez, 28, spent the past two seasons with the New York Giants. He suffered a torn ACL in 2021.
Over the course of his career, Martinez has been a tackling machine. He has 686 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and four interceptions since 2016.
Martinez will add much-needed depth to a linebacker room in Las Vegas that may be without Denzel Perryman.
It’s worth noting that Martinez has experience playing in Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme. They spent time together on the Giants.
“He did a great job for me in terms of running the defense, echoing the message from the coaching staff,” Graham said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “And I just got a lot of respect for him. I got a lot of respect for him as a player, but more importantly as a man. Just to see his growth as he’s gotten older.”
The Raiders will face the Chiefs this upcoming Monday.