Pats Pulpit
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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...
