Mapu Traded to Texans, Seeks New Role in Stacked Defense

0:00On April 7th, the New England Patriots just shipped linebacker Marta Mapu to the Houston Texans in a trade that's shaking up both team's defenses. Mapu came in as a third round pick back in 2023. The last draft under Bill Belichek, straight out of Sacramento State. He's already bounced through three defensive head coaches in three seasons. Belichek in 2023, Jared Mayo in 2024, and Mike Vrable in 2025. His peak hit in 2024 when he started nine games, snagged one interception, and forced three fumbles. Last year under Vrable, though, his snaps dropped to a career low of 12% on defense, mostly riding special teams with 58%. There. At 25, he's got that hybrid build smaller for a linebacker, but physical enough for safety duties, which limited his fit in New England. Now heading into the final year of his rookie deal in 2026, Mapu gets a reset with Houston's stacked defense, adding death at linebacker. He'll play for his fourth coach in four years, Domeco Ryan's, and get this.

1:03All his head coaches so far were star linebackers themselves. This move could unlock Mapu's upside on a contender, keeping fans watching how he carves out a bigger roll down in Texas. I'm Corey with the story, and you've been listening to NFL News today. AI-powered football coverage.