The Jacksonville Jaguars underwent a roster overhaul before the regular season, cutting ties with several players the past regime brought in. Among those who got the boot was linebacker Chad Muma.
The 2022 third-round pick didn't fit the team's vision, so he was waived before the regular season. The rival Indianapolis Colts quickly swooped in and claimed him, but he failed to do anything of note. But despite his unremarkable play, he garnered enough interest from an AFC contender to sign him to their active roster.
Former Jaguars LB Chad Muma signs with the Patriots
The Colts signed Chad Muma after Jacksonville released him. They eventually waived him in November but added him to their practice squad. Fast forward to December, and the New England Patriots signed him to their active roster, according to insider Jordan Schultz.
Signing Muma makes sense for the Pats when you take into account that Robert Spillane sat out the loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, even though he was active. Couple that with Jack Gibben's struggles, and it's easy to see why New England added depth at linebacker.
The issue is that Muma isn't necessarily a game-changer. He got the starting nod as a rookie when fellow Devin Lloyd struggled. However, the former Wyoming Cowboy returned to the sidelines after suffering a knee injury. He once again got an opportunity to start in his sophomore campaign and struggled.
By 2024, Muma had tumbled down the depth chart. He then became a victim of the numbers game when the new regime added Dennis Gardeck and Jack Kiser. Things didn't get any better in Indy.
During his brief stint with the Colts, Muma logged a measly 32 defensive snaps. Sure, he was buried on the depth chart but hasn't done enough throughout his career to make you think he'll put it all together in Foxborough. In 55 career games, the Denver, Colorado native has logged 99 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three passes defensed, far from eye-popping stats.
The Patriots could soon learn what the Jaguars knew about Chad Muma
If former Jaguars edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson proved anything is that players' readiness is always variable coming out of the draft, and perhaps Chad Muma could go through a similar career path.
A first-round pick in 2020, Chaisson showed a bit of promise late in his rookie season but failed to make an impact during his four-year tenure in Jacksonville. He signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2024 but was released just a few months later. It wasn't until the Texas native joined the Las Vegas Raiders that he truly hit his stride.
Chaisson has continued his career revival with the Patriots, the team that just signed Muma. Having said that, it's not a given that the fourth-year linebacker will undergo a career turnaround. Defensive tackle Taven Bryan and cornerback C.J. Henderson are two examples of recent first-round picks by Jacksonville who weren't able to take off even though they've been given multiple opportunities.
The truth is that it's hard to tell whether Chad Muma's career path will resemble Taven Bryan's or K'Lavon Chaisson's, but one thing is certain: He's running out of chances to live up to his draft billing.