At 5-foot-9, Martin's dream of playing in the NFL never seemed too big for him. His father, Manny Martin, was a defensive back in the league who played five seasons with the Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills.
Martin saw from his father what it takes to make it, to cherish each rep in practice, to keep focusing like every day could be your last. Others were surprised when Martin made the team, but he wasn't. After playing 53% of the defensive snaps and notching five tackles against the Chiefs, Martin feels ready to build off that against the Texans.
"I'll have the same thoughts I have every week, to focus on my assignments and techniques, and to make plays," Martin said. "I think about how far I've come since the spring sometimes, but I always felt I was supposed to be here. It was always in me to play in the NFL. It's not shocking to me."
Baltimore's 1-3 start hasn't shaken Martin's confidence that the team will bounce back. He thinks the Ravens are closer to solving their defensive problems than it may appear.
"Defensively, the tape doesn't match the scoreboard when you watch it," Martin said. "It's just attention to detail. I'm pretty sure we're going to fix that this week, even though we've got some guys out. I'm excited for this weekend for the defense."
Martin has relied on vets like Humphrey, Awuzie, and Alexander for advice and has been tapping into that.
"We've got a lot of old heads in there," Martin said. "They're dropping knowledge every week. Sometimes they don't even know they're dropping knowledge, but they are. They've been in this business so long, it's natural for them."