Patriots Sign Special Teams Standout To Practice Squad

Calvin Munson, a long-time stalwart on special teams, is re-joining the Patriots for his third tour of duty with the organization.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are adding a bit of special teams acumen to their practice squad.

The Pats announced the signing of linebacker Calvin Munson to their scout team Wednesday morning.

Munson is returning to New England for his third tour of duty. He previously spent time on the New England practice squad in 2018 and 2019 and on the 53-man roster in 2021.

His signing comes in the wake of the Pats 29-0 victory over the Detroit Lions in their Week 5 matchup at Gillette Stadium last Sunday. On Tuesday, New England released offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez from their practice squad, opening the spot for Munson. 

The 6-1, 235-pound defender was quite an accomplished collegiate linebacker, playing four years for San Diego State. During his time there, he was twice selected for the First-Team All-Mountain West Conference and was two-time San Diego State Aztecs football Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year.

Munson joined the NFL in 2017 by signing with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent. He played in 14 games with five starts as a rookie and finished with 55 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble. He began the 2018 season on the Giants practice squad, before joining the Patriots practice squad in 2018, where he would earn a championship ring via the team’s victory in Super Bowl LIII.

The 27-year-old was signed by the Miami Dolphins from the Pats practice squad in December 2019. As a member of Miami’s active roster, Munson appeared in 18 games, making two starts under then-Dolphins’ head coach Brian Flores. Munson took the majority of his snaps for Miami on special teams, where he has been a mainstay throughout his pro career.

After playing in all 16 games for the Dolphins in 2020, he began the 2021 season on the team’s practice squad before being signed to the New England 53-man roster on Oct. 27. Munson was claimed by Miami after being released by New England on Dec. 15. He was placed on injured reserve in August this past summer and then released by Miami on Oct. 10.

Overall, he has played in 42 games with seven starts and accumulated 45 total tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble, while seeing the field for 135 snaps on defense and 374 snaps on special teams.

Munson is expected to be present at Patriots practice as they begin preparations for their Week 6 showdown with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 16 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

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