Patriots Cut Linebacker Marte Mapu, Eyeing Draft for Depth

0:00On April 7th, the New England Patriots are cutting linebacker Marta Mapu after three seasons. He was their third round pick in 2023, played in 44 games with 10 starts and heads into the last year of his deal in 20. 26. Owing him a base salary of $1,508,000. Mapu came from Bill Belichek's final draft class, showing size and versatility at safety and linebacker spots. But he never locked down a clear role, especially struggling to fit Mike Vrabel's defensive scheme. Last year, he barely saw a defensive action with just 120 snaps there, mostly handling special teams duties at 255 snaps. It was a straightforward call to trim the roster and pocket some cap space. Now the team eyes linebacker depth in the upcoming draft, possibly grabbing one early. Guys like Robert Spalain turned 32 after next season, and Christian Ellis hits free agency then too, so they're building for long term, security.

1:01This move clears the deck, while setting up fresh talent to step in and stabilize that linebacker room down the line. That's your update from NFL News Today, powered by AI, I'm Cory with the story.