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Turnover has been the name of the game for the New England Patriots defense recently, but their linebacker group has proven to be comparatively stable. Sure, there have been subtractions and additions most notably at the very top of the depth chart, but much of the 2024 personnel remained in place for 2025 as well.
In fact, the current composition of the group suggests that only limited change is in the cards in 2026 as well.
Patriots linebacker depth chart
Robert Spillane: When the Patriots signed Spillane to a three-year, $33 million free agency deal last March, they made their intentions quite clear: he was to be their new top dog in the linebacker room, a position further strengthened when Ja’Whaun Bentley was cut shortly thereafter. Spillane went on to be voted a team captain and start all 17 combined regular season and playoff games he appeared in. A true three-down player and defensive signal caller, he was a crucial member of New England’s defense. Despite missing four games with foot and ankle issues, he finished the season ranked first on the team with 115 tackles and also caught two interceptions. | Signed (2028 UFA) | $12.32M cap hit
Christian Elliss: In 2025, Elliss continued his progression from core special teamer to starter-level linebacker (all while still remaining actively involved in the kicking game and ranking second with 18 tackles). The No. 2 at the position alongside Spillane, he notched 94 total tackles in his 19 games as well as a pair of fumble recoveries. He did have some ups and downs in coverage and still looks best suited to play a complementary role, but he overall had a solid season. | Signed (2027 UFA) | $8.56M cap hit
Jack Gibbens: Signed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract that included only $300,000 in guarantees, Gibbens was no lock to make the roster out of training camp. However, his performance particularly on special teams paved the way for him to earning one of the 53 spots. From there, he developed into a valuable rotational linebacker who took over as the top option and signal caller during Spillane’s injury absence. All in all, he finished 2025 with 10 starts, 90 tackles and a forced fumble; he also registered 10 special teams takedowns. | RFA
Jahlani Tavai: Tavai opened the season on injured reserve because of a calf injury, and after his mid-October return was mostly used as a hybrid role player both off the ball and on the edge. As such, he started nine of his 16 games but averaged only around one fourth of defensive snaps. He was more prolific in the kicking game, where he was a regular on five units and when all was said and done ranked fifth in snaps (301) despite his time missed. | Signed (2028 UFA) | $5.22M cap hit
Marte Mapu: Like Tavai, Mapu saw his most regular action in the kicking game. A Core 4 player employed as personal punt protector as well as on all the return and coverage squads, he ranked fourth in special teams snaps (326) and second in solo tackles (8). Defensively, he only played 122 snaps with 13 tackles. He was mostly a non-factor on that side of the ball, but did register an interception in Week 2 against Miami. | Signed (2027 UFA) | $1.77M cap hit
Chad Muma: Originally entering 2025 with the Jaguars and later also spending time with the Colts, Muma arrived in New England in December via the Indianapolis practice squad. He saw action in seven games after his arrival, including all four playoff contests, and became a prominent presence on special teams. The 26-year-old ranked third on the team in playoff special teams tackles (3). | Signed (2027 UFA) | $1.24M cap hit
Otis Reese: Like Muma, Reese also spent time with three different teams in 2025. Unlike his teammate, however, he did not appear in any games: the former Titan spent the entire season either on a practice squad in Buffalo or New England before signing a futures contract with the Patriots. | Signed (2027 RFA) | $1.08M cap hit
Amari Gainer: Gainer had an uneventful 2025 season. He was released by the Raiders ahead of roster cutdowns and remained unsigned until the Patriots picked him up via their practice squad in mid-December. He remained there for the rest of the season without seeing any game action. | Signed (2028 ERFA) | $1.01M cap hit
Patriots offseason preview
As can be seen, the Patriots have seven linebackers under contract for 2025, including three of their top four. The fourth, restricted free agent Jack Gibbens, seems like a realistic candidate to return given his qualities as a backup and special teamer.
So, does that mean the Patriots will mostly ignore the position outside of possibly bringing back Gibbens? Probably not, even though there might not be any big financial investments like last year. More realistically, they will look to the draft to give the group an infusion of young talent and developmental upside.
In fact, Eliot Wolf said so himself during a Q&A with local media at last week’s Scouting Combine.
“We’d like to to maybe address that in the draft. It looks like a good year at linebacker,” the Patriots’ EVP of player personnel said.
“But we are happy with the group that we have. I think Christian Ellis took a step forward. Spillane was really good when he was out there. Gibbens carved out a role for himself, made a role for Tavai. Mapu had his role. So, it’s an area where we have a lot of kind of different pieces and the defensive staff was able to try to maximize that for us.”