Temple Professional Athletes

Temple Alumni NFL Roundup | Oct. 4–10, 2026

Two Temple alumni are drawing attention in the NFL this week — one for what he's doing on the field, the other for what his return could mean for a battered secondary.

Jacob Martin Is Tennessee's Best-Kept Secret

The Titans are 0-4, but don't tell Jacob Martin that his season is going poorly. The Temple product and edge rusher has quietly been one of Tennessee's most effective free-agent additions, producing consistently through the first four weeks despite the team's overall struggles. Sports Illustrated flagged Martin as the Titans' most underrated offseason signing, and it's hard to argue — in a Tennessee defense that hasn't had much to celebrate, Martin has been a reliable bright spot off the edge.

That kind of production amid a losing environment is the sort of thing that gets overlooked in weekly box scores but registers with front offices. Martin played Sunday as the Titans fell to the Baltimore Ravens 18-24, and while Tennessee couldn't close the deal, Martin's continued presence in the backfield conversation keeps his stock climbing. For Temple fans who remember his disruptive pass-rush ability in North Philadelphia, this is exactly the kind of trajectory they expected.

Brian Branch Return Brings Relief — But Lions' Secondary Still Hurting

In Detroit, the news is cautiously optimistic: safety Brian Branch is on track to return to practice after missing time with an injury, per Yahoo Sports. The Lions will take any reinforcement they can get — their secondary has been one of the more battered units in the league to open 2026.

Branch's imminent return couldn't come at a better time. The Lions absorbed yet another blow to their defensive backfield Sunday night against the Carolina Panthers, when cornerback Rock Ya-Sin — another Temple alum — was downgraded and lost during the game, per Heavy Sports. Ya-Sin's injury only deepens a depth crisis that has plagued Detroit's pass defense through the early weeks of the season.

The silver lining: Branch getting healthy restores a legitimate playmaker to a secondary that has been operating shorthanded. He's the kind of safety whose football IQ and range can mask some of the coverage problems created by cornerback attrition. Whether he's available for Detroit's next game remains to be seen, but his return to practice is a meaningful step.

The Bigger Picture

It's a tale of two situations for Temple's most prominent NFL contributors this week. Martin is thriving in obscurity on a rebuilding Titans squad, the kind of under-the-radar story that rewards attentive fans. Meanwhile, the Lions' Temple contingent is navigating injury chaos — Branch inching back while Ya-Sin heads the other direction.

For a program like Temple, which doesn't always see its alumni headline NFL coverage, having multiple players relevant to legitimate team storylines in the same week is worth noting. Owls fans have reason to follow both Tennessee and Detroit closely as the 2026 season moves deeper into October.

It was a week of contrasting fortunes for Temple alumni in the NFL — one Owl locked in his future while another watched his present unravel.

Andreessen Signs, Bills' Depth Chart Gets Complicated

The Buffalo Bills rewarded Joe Andreessen with a two-year, $5 million extension — $3 million of it guaranteed — locking up the Temple product through the foreseeable future. The deal is a vote of confidence from a Bills organization that has steadily built one of the more competitive rosters in the AFC.

But the extension carries ripple effects. With Andreessen secured, the futures of fellow Bills players Dorian Williams, Sam Franklin, and Keonta Jenkins come into sharper focus, raising questions about how Buffalo manages its roster construction heading deeper into the season. Sam Franklin Jr., also a Temple alum, was active in Buffalo's 24–16 win over the Chargers on September 27 — a result that keeps the Bills moving in the right direction. How the front office balances its commitments around Andreessen's new deal will be one to watch.

Rock Ya-Sin's Lions Tenure in Freefall

On the other end of the spectrum, Rock Ya-Sin's time in Detroit looks increasingly numbered. The veteran cornerback was benched from the Lions' starting lineup this week amid early-season struggles, a significant fall for a player who entered the year as a starter. Detroit went on to beat the Jets 31–24 on September 27, apparently without needing Ya-Sin in a prominent role — which only sharpens the optics.

Making matters worse, a team insider has suggested the Lions could move to trade Ya-Sin outright as they shift away from the Temple product. At this stage, a benching followed by trade speculation is rarely a storyline that reverses course. Ya-Sin, who has bounced between starting roles throughout his NFL career, now faces the very real possibility of a fresh start elsewhere before the trade deadline.

The Lions' cornerback room appears to be moving on, and if a trade materializes, Ya-Sin will join a notable list of Temple DBs who've had to reinvent themselves mid-career.

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Two Temple alumni, two very different weeks — one reason why the Owls continue to populate NFL rosters worth tracking every Sunday.