FOXBOROUGH — Keshawn Martin is easy to overlook.

Whether he’s working his way through a locker room full of big personalities or shifting his way through a field full of big players, Martin can sometimes get missed.

“He’s a pretty quiet guy,’’ said quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Martin’s arrival in Foxborough wasn’t splashy. He was acquired from the Texans in September for a future draft pick when depth became an issue. Bryan Tims and Brandon Gibson were lost for the year during the exhibition season and it became clear Brandon LaFell would start the year on the physically unable to perform list recovering from foot surgery.

The acquisition raised some eyebrows because Martin primarily had been a return man during his three-plus seasons in Houston and the Patriots were pretty well set in that area with Julian Edelman on punts and Danny Amendola skilled at both punt and kickoff returns.

Asked if he was surprised the Patriots wanted him when they had players with similar skill sets already on the roster, Martin said, “I wasn’t really surprised by that specifically. I was more surprised I got traded. One day I was a Texan, the next day I was a Patriot. That was the surprise.’’

The move made sense from a familiarity standpoint as Houston coach Bill O’Brien — a former New England coordinator — runs a similar offense to the Patriots’.

“It was easy for me to hop in and learn things here,’’ said Martin. “Some things were separate but a lot of things came to me right away. It was nice to get that comfort level right away.’’

Garoppolo, who works a lot with Martin on the scout team, noticed quickly there wouldn’t be much of a breaking-in period.

“Key, from when he first got here, fit right in,’’ said Garoppolo. “Hard-working guy, pretty quiet for the most part. Just goes about his business and those are the kind of guys we like around here.’’

The familiarity was a bonus in the acquisition, said Bill Belichick.

“Keshawn had a relatively good background with what we were doing,’’ said the coach. “A lot of the terminology is similar to Houston and what Billy did. But still, it’s different, and the timing is different. There are certainly a lot of differences, but he had a good start on that.’’

Martin’s road to success in New England hit a detour when he suffered a hamstring injury and missed Weeks 7-11.

“It was tough, but injuries happen and I just had to deal with and just work through it,’’ said Martin, who finished the season with 24 catches for 269 yards and two scores.

He kept working and submerged himself in the playbook during his rehab, so that when he returned to health, he could jump right back into action.

“I’m very comfortable in our system,’’ said Martin, who while at Michigan State accounted for touchdowns five different ways: passing, receiving, rushing, punt return, and kick return. “I work every day to keep learning everything we have and then I go out and perform.’’

There existed the possibility Martin could get overlooked again as LaFell got ready to return during Martin’s recuperation.

Coincidentally, it was injuries to other receivers that allowed Martin a second-chance opportunity to prove he belonged. Both Edelman and Amendola missed time and Martin was there to help fill the void. That came as no surprise to Garoppolo.

“He’s a smooth receiver,’’ said Garoppolo. “It’s hard to describe but when you watch him on film, he never gets caught in his breaks or stuck at the top of his routes. He’s very smooth in and out and it makes for an easy read for the quarterback when you’re reading his body.’’

Martin put together solid performances against his old teammates in Houston and the Jets, proving he was worthy of his spot on the roster even with a healthy Edelman and Amendola in the lineup. He never thought of those veterans as threats, rather teachers.

“We have great receivers and it helps my game to work with them,’’ said Martin, who said one of the biggest advantages of playing in New England is getting his number called by Tom Brady.

“I haven’t really experienced playing with a quarterback that leads the way Tom does,’’ said Martin, who collected two catches for 57 yards, including a 42-yarder against Kansas City last week. “One of the best quarterbacks of our time. Really lucky to have him on our team and to get to play with him.’’

It’s evident Belichick feels lucky to have Martin in his rotation.

“He’s done a good job for us returning the ball and offensively and has played multiple positions, so he’s been a solid addition for us’’ said the coach. “I’m glad we have him.’’

So glad, he inked Martin to a two-year contract extension worth $3 million in the days leading up to the divisional-round win over the Chiefs.

“It felt really good,’’ Martin said when asked about the new deal. “I’m very happy that they have confidence in me and I’m very happy to be here.’’

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.