Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee suggests that the 49ers could be a team to watch in regards to Dolphins LT Jonathan Martin if or when he becomes available.
The Ted Wells report regarding the bullying allegations against Richie Incognito was released on Friday, as you’ve probably already heard. The report included some quotes from Martin’s former head coach at Stanford Jim Harbaugh and current HC David Shaw regarding their experience with him in college.
“(Harbaugh), told us that he had never doubted Martin’s tenacity, work ethic and dedication to the game, and that he had never seen Martin exhibit problems with social adjustment,” the independent report says. “Coach Harbaugh told us he believed that Martin likely could continue to have a successful career in the NFL. It appears that Martin was up to the challenge of dealing with physical or verbal intimidation by opposing players during NFL games, but fell victim, at least in part, to persistent taunting from his own teammates.”
Harbaugh said that he never doubted or questioned Martin’s ability to be a leader or handle the situation. Although, Martin did admit to dealing with some mild depression at Stanford, but was overall comfortable in that setting.
It says that while there was ribbing inside the Stanford locker room and that Martin dealt with bouts of mild depression, he felt comfortable there. Furthermore, Harbaugh told Wells that he didn’t think the 49ers’ locker room was all that different than Stanford’s.
“Although initially quiet, he became a vocal leader on the team by his final year,” the report reads. “Coach Harbaugh emphasized that he never doubted Martin’s physical or mental toughness, and he believes that Martin can continue to have a successful career in the NFL. Coach Harbaugh also said that the atmosphere in the Stanford locker room, in his view, was not materially different from that of the San Francisco 49ers’ locker room.”
The 49ers figure to be looking for some low-cost options and have plenty of draft picks to include in a trade for Martin if they do in fact have interest in bringing him in and giving him a opportunity to start over in the NFL.
It’s doubtful that the Dolphins would be able to get much more than a late-round pick in return for Martin, so he could be a decent buy-low option for teams in need of offensive line depth.
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