Cameron Latu and Darius Muasau reached New England through the waiver wire, but their paths to useful playing time are not identical.
The Patriots' roster announcement confirmed the additions of Latu from Philadelphia and Muasau from the Giants. Muasau brought 27 NFL appearances and 18 starts over two seasons. Latu played 15 games for Philadelphia in 2025 and blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown.
Those backgrounds make this more specific than a generic search for depth. One player has been a regular defensive participant. The other has shown a way to help outside the passing statistics normally used to judge tight ends.
In his waiver analysis, Evan Lazar described Latu's Philadelphia work as heavily oriented toward blocking and special teams. He also identified Muasau as primarily an inside linebacker. Neither description guarantees how New England will use them, but each gives fans a sensible starting point.
Watch Latu before looking for his name in a receiving box score. Is he helping create the running lane? Is he on a kicking unit? A productive block can be part of a successful play without producing a target.
With Muasau, the questions are different: when does he enter the defensive rotation, where does he align and what responsibility does he take on?
These are modest, observable tests. They avoid turning two waiver claims into an instant verdict on an entire roster. New England has added players with NFL experience. The next step is finding out which of that experience translates into dependable work for the Patriots.
A play that explains the appeal
The Latu post included with this article points readers to a punt block from his Philadelphia season. Lazar identifies his participation on four special teams units, giving a concrete example of why receiving totals do not tell the whole story of a tight end's roster value.
The team analysis also describes Latu's offensive work as closer to an H-back in some formations: moving through the backfield or across the formation to block rather than simply standing beside a tackle. That background is relevant to the different ways coaches can deploy a player listed at tight end.
Muasau's experience belongs in a separate column. An inside linebacker reads the developing play from another part of the field and works within a different rotation. The shared arrival date should not make these two players a single evaluation. For each, the test is whether a demonstrated skill becomes a repeatable Patriots assignment, not whether both appear together in the same highlight.
