When the New England Patriots claimed Cameron Latu and Darius Muasau off waivers just days before the start of the regular season, there was an obvious question surrounding both additions.
Where, exactly, would they fit?
One game into the season, the Patriots have provided a pretty compelling answer.
Latu and Muasau were among just five New England players who contributed on all four of the team’s core special teams units in Week 1, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Their immediate roles offer some of the clearest evidence yet of what the Patriots valued when they added both players following final roster cuts.
3️⃣ units: FB Reggie Gilliam, CB Charles Woods 2️⃣ units: CB
Reiss specifically pointed to the usage as providing “more clarity” on the waiver claims, noting that New England appeared to be targeting “core 4” special teams personnel.
For two players who had barely been Patriots for a week, that’s a significant workload.
Cameron Latu, Darius Muasau Immediately Take on Major Special Teams Roles
The Patriots claimed Latu off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles and Muasau from the New York Giants on Aug. 31.
Neither arrived as a newcomer without NFL experience.
Latu, a third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, had already established himself as a special teams contributor with Philadelphia. He appeared in 15 games for the Eagles in 2025, and Patriots.com noted when New England claimed him that he had worked across four special teams units and blocked a punt last season.
Muasau, meanwhile, arrived with considerably more defensive experience. The Giants’ sixth-round pick in 2024 appeared in 27 games with 18 starts over his first two NFL seasons, recording 106 tackles, one sack and one interception.
Head coach Mike Vrabel pointed to that experience after New England acquired the pair.
“Just guys that have really played NFL games, meaningful football games,” Vrabel told reporters on Sept. 1.
But their Week 1 deployment revealed another layer.
Reiss’ “Core 4” report showed Latu and Muasau contributing on kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return and punt protection/coverage. Only three other Patriots, outside linebacker Gabe Jacas, linebacker Nnamdi Obiazor and safety Dell Pettus, appeared on all four units.
That’s not an occasional special teams assignment. New England immediately trusted both waiver additions with roles across the kicking game.
Patriots’ Roster Decisions Begin to Come Into Focus
The Week 1 report also provided some insight into several other decisions New England made at the bottom of its roster.
Obiazor, a sixth-round rookie, made an immediate impact while working across all four units. He recorded a team-high three special teams tackles, including one on the opening kickoff.
Cornerback Channing Canada contributed on two units. Reiss noted that Canada’s work as a gunner and vice player in the punt game “seems to have been the top reason” he earned a roster spot.
It’s an early glimpse at how Vrabel and the Patriots constructed the less glamorous portion of their 53-man roster.
For Latu and Muasau specifically, the evidence is becoming harder to miss.
The Patriots had enough interest in both players to claim them immediately after roster cuts, then wasted little time putting them to work. Within days of arriving in Foxborough, both were handling responsibilities across every core special teams unit.
That doesn’t prove special teams were the sole reason New England claimed either player. Latu provides depth at tight end, while Muasau has already shown he can contribute defensively at the NFL level. Vrabel also emphasized their experience when discussing the moves.
But Week 1 gave the Patriots their first opportunity to show how they planned to use their two late-August additions.
They used both of them everywhere on special teams.
And that makes those two waiver claims considerably easier to understand.
Patriots’ Week 1 Usage Sheds New Light on Pair of Waiver Claims