Packers trade OL Tony Moll to the Baltimore Ravens for Safety / cornerback Derrick Martin
A real WIN for Ted Thompson. Getting a usable player back for a guy that was going to get cut anyway is always a good thing. Martin has been a cornerback and just this preseason made the switch to safety. The Ravens were stacked in the secondary and it became a numbers game for him. Just recently, Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh had this to say about Martin:
"The thing about Derrick Martin thats interesting is, hes always the same," Harbaugh said. "Derrick Martin comes out and plays well in every single practice. Then, he lines up in a game and plays well in every single game.
"He plays extremely fast. Hes made the transition from corner to safety. So, he can play both. Derrick Martin is a valuable piece to that secondary. Hes a guy thats in the mix to make our roster, and hes earned that. Its going to be interesting to see how it shakes out, but I think Derrick Martin has played his way, pretty potentially, onto this football team.
In the end it didn't work out for Martin in Baltimore, but his acquisition meant the Packers could cut Anthony Smith. Reportedly the Packers have been eyeing Martin for a while and like him better than Smith. Martin is a special teams gunner and can play cornerback or safety. Overall, he seems to offer more value than Smith.