The Jacksonville Jaguars released linebacker Chad Muma ahead of the cutdown deadline. The failed 2022 third-round pick will get a chance to get his NFL career going in the AFC South.
The Indianapolis Colts have claimed Muma off waivers, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Media. This means that the fourth-year linebacker will get to face his former team twice in 2025.
The Jaguars won't fret about having to face Chad Muma
Chad Muma flashed as a rookie before a knee injury cut his season short. However, he struggled once he was pressed into action in 2023. By 2024, fellow linebacker Ventrell Miller had gotten ahead of him on the depth chart, and only got playing time because the Jags used a hockey rotation on defense.
The regime that brougth in Muma got the boot early in 2025, and he got a clean slate. On the other hand, the former Wyoming Cowboy found himself having to compete with rookie Jack Kiser and veteran Dennis Gardeck. Not surprisingly, he got the boot after failing to do much of note in the offseason program and struggling in the preseason.
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Chad Muma gets a chance to bounce back with the Colts
The Colts had been looking for help at linebacker dating back to the offseason. They were linked to Germaine Pratt because of his ties to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, but he ended up going to the Las Vegas Raiders. Chad Muma fills that need. Having said that, there's a reason the Jaguars moved on from him.
The Jaguars probably didn't know that the Colts weren't going to claim Muma, but even then, it's not like they'll fear playing him. After all, Dennis Gardeck and Jack Kiser made him expendable.
On the other hand, Muma will have a chance to enjoy a career revival. As former draft bust K'Lavon Chaisson proved, sometimes, all a player needs to hit his stride is a change of scenery. For whatever reason, things didn't work for the Colorado native in Jacksonville, but he'll have a chance to show that he's the same talented player he was coming out of college.
Now, it will be up to Chad Muma to make the most out of his new opportunity, and if the prospect of showing his former team that releasing him was a mistake doesn't motivate him, probably nothing will.