The New England Patriots revamped their linebacker depth this offseason, but they opted not to touch a player who they had acquired relatively recently: Chad Muma, a practice squad pickup the previous December, remained on the roster through this process of change.
Does this mean he will be a factor in 2026? Not necessarily, but the early signs are somewhat encouraging.
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Hard facts
Name: Chad Muma
Position: Off-ball linebacker
Jersey number: 49
Opening day age: 27 (8/18/1999)
Measurements: 6’2 3/4”, 239 lbs, 10” hand size, 31 5/8” arm length, 75 3/4” wingspan, 4.63s 40-yard dash, 6.90s 3-cone drill, 4.21s short shuttle, 40” vertical jump, 10’9” broad jump, 27 bench press reps, 9.77 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars (2022-24), Indianapolis Colts (2025), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Wyoming (2018-21)
A multi-sport athlete at Legend High School in Parker, CO, Muma decided to follow his father Ty’s footsteps: despite receiving scholarship offers from Colorado State, Nevada and Hawaii, the three-star linebacker recruit joined the University of Wyoming. In his four seasons with the Cowboys, Muma appeared in 42 games with 20 starts and was twice voted first-time All-Mountain West (2020, 2021). He finished his college career with 256 tackles, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown.
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His college output and testing performance eventually allowed him to get selected 70th overall in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The fourth off-ball linebacker selected overall that year, and second picked by the Jaguars after they added Devin Lloyd in Round 1, the hope was that he and Lloyd would develop into a longtime foundational duo at the second-level.
That plan never materialized, in part because Muma failed to regularly break into the starting lineup. In his first three seasons in the league, he did see action in 52 regular season and playoff games but started only seven of them. Mostly a special teamer — albeit a good one — he eventually was waived by the team’s new-look coaching staff ahead of the 2025 roster cutdown deadline.
Muma went on to split his 2025 campaign between the Colts and Patriots, adding 12 more in-game appearances to his NFL palmarès.
Scouting report
Strengths: At just under 6-foot-3 and 239 pounds, Muma has prototypical modern-day linebacker size. He complements it with an intriguing athletic skillset; his long speed, burst and raw strength in particular stand out. He is efficient and willing to pursue from the backside, playing with a high motor and tone-setting competitiveness. He comes downhill with a purpose as a run defender and is able to square ball carriers up, using his length, base, power and technique to complete tackles even in open space. He generally reads the flow of the offense well, and also provides excellent special teams versatility and experience.
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Weaknesses: Muma’s athletic testing does not necessarily show up on tape all the time. He can be a step slow reacting to play development both versus the run and in coverage. He has decent click-and-close burst as a zone defender but is neither the quickest player nor particularly efficient as a blitzer, which in turn limits his usability on passing downs; back-pedaling and defending the seam one-on-one are also not his strong suit. He additionally provides little versatility on the defensive side of the ball, and is best suited to play as a traditional middle linebacker and on special teams.
2025 review
Stats (Colts): 5 games (0 starts) | 32 defensive snaps (3.3%), 71 special teams snaps (19.7%) | 1 tackle | 1 target, 1 catch surrendered (100%), 5 yards | 3 special teams tackles | 0 penalties
Stats (Patriots): 7 games (0 starts) | 29 defensive snaps (6.7%), 131 special teams snaps (70.1%) | 4 tackles | 4 special teams tackles, 1 missed tackle (20.0%) | 0 penalties
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Season recap: Despite being a former third-round draft pick coming off the most active season of his career, Muma entered his fourth NFL training camp in a precarious situation. His previous defensive production had been minimal while Jacksonville had brought in a new coaching staff and more linebacker competition in the offseason. Special teams alone would therefore not be enough for the veteran defender to make the team.
And indeed, he did not. After playing significant snaps deep into the preseason finale, Muma was waived by the Jaguars ahead of late August’s roster cutdown deadline. He never made it to the open market, though, and instead was picked up by Indianapolis as a waiver claim the next day.
Muma made his Colts debut in Week 2 of the regular season and from there played a role similar to the one he held with his now-AFC South rivals: he was used mostly on special teams with only occasionally being given an opportunity on defense — a mix that allowed him to only see the game day roster on five occasions between arriving in Indianapolis and getting cut in early November.
While Muma did make it through waivers this time around, he eventually landed back with the Colts as a member of their practice squad. However, his stay with the club came to an abrupt end in mid-December when New England opted to poach him to its own 53-man roster.
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Muma was added to the mix right out of the gate, playing 13 of 24 special teams snaps in his first game against the Ravens. It was a sign of things to come: over his seven weeks in Foxborough, he was on the field for 171 special teams snaps — third most on the roster over that period of time. Along the way, he registered four kicking game tackles, including three in the playoffs. Only one player in the entire NFL playoffs — fellow Patriot Brenden Schooler (6) — had more postseason tackles in the game’s third phase.
As a defender, meanwhile, Muma was comparatively quiet. He saw 24 of his 29 combined snaps in blowout wins over the Jets and Dolphins to close out the regular season, but he did play four snaps in his team’s Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks.
Overall, however, Muma’s fourth year as a pro looked a lot like his first three: his most consistent impact came on special teams rather than defense.
2026 preview
Position: Early-down middle linebacker | Ability: Depth player/Role player/
Quality special teamer | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 UFA)
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What will be his role? Muma is listed as a linebacker and whenever given defensive snaps will align in just that spot. However, his career so far suggests that his primary responsibilities and value to the Patriots will come on special teams: a potential member of the four core units — kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return, punt coverage — he is a candidate to play an active role in the kicking game week in and week out.
What is his growth potential? Four years into his career, Muma has yet to live up to his third-round draft status. He has the raw athleticism to start doing so, and should benefit from a more stable environment in New England, but one has to wonder whether or not any big jumps are still in the cards for him. The more realistic projection therefore might be the 26-year-old simply being who he is at this point in his development, which isn’t bad per se but just different than his initial outlook entering the league.
Does he have positional versatility? Muma’s defensive versatility, as mentioned above, is relatively limited. Where he is able to play a multi-dimensional role, meanwhile, is special teams: he is capable of lining up on up to five units, playing on the four kickoff and punt teams as well as the field goal/extra point blocking unit.
What is his salary cap situation? The Patriots signed Muma to a two-year deal through 2026 when poaching him off the Colts’ practice squad, and it comes with a $1.24 million cap hit this season. That number can be divided into a $1.22 million base salary as well as a $25,000 workout bonus. While none of it is guaranteed, the total cap figure is high enough to qualify for a Top 51 ranking and is therefore currently counted against New England’s books in whole.
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How safe is his roster spot? Muma raised some eyebrows during the third and final mandatory minicamp session, when he took on green dot duties with Robert Spillane limited. While one session in early June is not necessarily indicative of a future role, it was nonetheless noteworthy and shows that Muma — a player not guaranteed a spot on the roster as evidenced by his contract — very well is in the running for the No. 3 linebacker spot behind Spillane and Christian Elliss.
Summary: An intriguing player given his background and special teams expertise, Muma earning a rotational or backup role on defense would be a positive development. As things currently stand, we do see him making the Patriots’ 53-man roster even though there obviously is a long way to go before those decisions are made.
What do you think about Chad Muma heading into the 2026 season? Will he earn the the third linebacker spot? Or will he find himself off the team come the regular season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
