Tay Martin keeps finding ways to matter for the Lions, and on Sunday he did it in two very different lanes. The former UFL standout helped Detroit beat the Miami Dolphins 19-9 with an 11-yard fake-punt reception, then later delivered the kind of special teams play that can swing a game by itself: a touchdown-saving tackle on Miami’s own fake punt.
The Dolphins had the Lions pinned deep at the Miami 36-yard line when punter Bradley Pinion hit Kaytron Allen on a short pass. Allen turned it into a 46-yard gain before Martin tracked him down at the Lions’ 18-yard line. Detroit’s defense held from there, forcing Miami into a 34-yard field goal instead of a touchdown.
That was just the latest big moment for Martin, who has been showing up all season in the kinds of spots that don’t always make headlines but absolutely change games. In his first Lions game, against his childhood team, the New Orleans Saints, the Houma, La., native made his presence felt right away. He finished with three solo tackles, and his work as a gunner on special teams earned him a game ball in Week 1.
Asked by reporter Brad Galli what it was like getting the game ball, Martin said it caught him off guard, but he was thankful just to be on the roster in Week 1.
"My whole career, man…just been battling staying on the field as far as being elevated from the practice squad, so just to be on the roster bro, Week 1, it was just amazing for me and um..I was ready. I took full advantage of it and it was fun," Martin said.
Against New Orleans, he also delivered a hard hit on punt returner Barion Brown that knocked him backward for a loss and helped pin the Saints on their 14-yard line.
Martin’s rise in Detroit started during the preseason, when he kept separating himself in a crowded receiver room. He was competing with other UFL players, veteran NFL names and Lions roster hopefuls, but he kept forcing the coaching staff to pay attention. Dan Campbell, Drew Petzing and Dave Fipp all brought him up in media sessions, and Martin kept earning more snaps in preseason games and more first-team reps late in camp.
His preseason production was modest on offense but steady enough to stand out. Against the Bengals, he caught his only target for 14 yards.
In Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, he scored on a two-yard touchdown reception. But his biggest value came on special teams, where Pro Football Focus gave him a 79.9 grade, the best on the Lions.
He also posted a 78.3 as a run blocker on offense.
Before Detroit, Martin had already taken a long road through the NFL and the UFL. The 28-year-old undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State had brief stops with the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders before landing with the Columbus Aviators in the UFL.
His NFL debut came with Tennessee in Week 18 of the 2024 season, when quarterback Will Levis targeted him once and Martin turned it into a 49-yard touchdown. That play was enough to get him signed for the 2025 season, but an undisclosed injury in May landed him on injured reserve. After an injury settlement, he signed with Washington’s practice squad in July 2025, appeared in three games and was released in October.
The UFL changed the trajectory. Drafted by the Aviators in the 2026 UFL player draft, Martin got the steady reps and weekly game action that had been hard to find before. He finished ranked third among 2026 UFL wide receivers with 42 catches for 482 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, and his longest catch went for 52 yards.
Martin has been clear about what that stretch meant. He called the UFL a vital launching pad that relaunched his career, and told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that the spring league helped him sharpen his route running, improve as a receiver and rebuild his confidence.
He’s one of the rare players to make that jump all the way back to the NFL, but he’s not alone. Brandon Aubrey and KaVontae Turpin of the Dallas Cowboys, Jalen Redmond of the Minnesota Vikings, Andre Szmyt of the Cleveland Browns and Detroit’s Jake Bates and Jacob Saylors all show the same thing Martin is proving now: the UFL can be a real path back to the league.
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