HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans traded receiver Keshawn Martin to the New England Patriots, sources confirmed.
He'd been on the Texans roster since being drafted in the fourth round in 2012, fighting for a spot on it in the past two offseasons. His versatility is what kept him around, as he could play inside, outside and serve as a returner.
In his Texans career Martin caught 38 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns, with all three scores coming in his first two years with the team. Martin was often used as the Texans’ slot receiver while playing for former Texans coach Gary Kubiak.
When the Texans fired Kubiak and hired Bill O’Brien, completely turning over their offensive staff in the process, Martin fell out of favor. He only had six receptions in 2014 and didn’t have a touchdown. Even though he handled kickoff and punt returns for the first two seasons, his role was reduced to just punt returns last season with the Texans seeming to perpetually be seeking someone to unseat him there. Martin averaged 25.1 yards per kickoff return and 8.9 yards per punt return.
This offseason, the Texans added four receivers -- veterans Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts III in free agency and rookie Jaelen Strong and Keith Mumphery in the draft. The Texans kept those four, starter DeAndre Hopkins and Martin on their opening day roster. All of them were active on Sunday, but Martin and Strong didn’t play.
ESPN NFL Nation Patriots reporter Mike Reiss offered these thoughts on how Martin will fit with his new team:
Prior to the trade, the Patriots had just three receivers on their 53-man roster -- Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson. They also have two receivers on the practice squad, Kenbrell Thompkins and Nathan Palmer, and there’s a possibility that undrafted pass-catcher Chris Harper -- who made the initial 53-man roster -- returns on the practice squad after clearing waivers Wednesday.
Martin’s work as a returner might have appealed to the Patriots, who might not want to expose Edelman and Amendola to those duties given the shortage at the receiver position.
Once the trade becomes official, and assuming it doesn’t involve another player, the Patriots would need to clear a spot on their 53-man roster for Martin.
