Compared to other moves the New England Patriots made this offseason, trading Marte Mapu to the Houston Texans as part of a late-round draft pick exchange in 2027 was little more than a footnote. However, parting ways with the former third-rounder nonetheless left its mark on the roster.
Besides Mapu serving as a backup linebacker, he also played a prominent role in the kicking game. The three-year veteran served as personal punt protector in 2025, meaning that he was responsible for line calls and
setting the protection up front. With him off the roster, however, a replacement needs to be found.
Among the candidates is an undrafted free agent who only arrived after trying out at rookie minicamp, Peter Manuma.
“Peter Manuma from Hawaii, he’s done a good job being back there in some reps,” said special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer ahead of Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice at Gillette Stadium.
“Very in control of his body. His body movement’s really good. And I like how vocal he is. Very vocal, very confident when he talks. And I think that’s a sign of confidence. I do like that from that position.”
Spending his entire four-year college career at Hawaii, Manuma was a productive player for the Rainbow Warriors. He appeared in 49 games with 35 starts, was named a team captain twice, and registered five interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Despite his production and some solid athletic traits — Manuma ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process — no NFL team was willing to offer him a contract until after the Patriots’ rookie minicamp. Since then, he has apparently done a good enough job to put himself into consideration for a quarterback-like role in the kicking game.
“Every year you try to find a new guy that’s like the quarterback,” Springer said. “You’re just trying to spend a little more time with those guys outside of the meeting time, if you can, if they want to come up and meet with you. You find ways in training camp to get them rolling, and you just try to find extra time with those guys. Hopefully, you get a guy back there that’s confident, can conduct himself, and leads with confidence. That’s what you really need back there.”
In Springer’s eyes, Manuma fits the bill. The same is true for some other options.
“We have a number of guys,” he said. “Mike Brown’s done a good job coming in here. He did it in Tennessee. Craig Woodson’s always done it. Lan Larison. You try to look for a safety or running back, guys who are confident.”
Despite lacking the experience of his competitors, the 23-year-old Manuma seemingly is not missing the confidence New England is looking for. That at least puts him in play for the job, even though more time will pass before Springer and company make a decision.
“We have a bunch of guys trying out for it,” Springer said. “We’ll figure out in training camp who’s the guy, and we’ll go from there.”
