When Mike Vrabel was hired to be the Patriots' head coach, there was some excitement about how his ties to players from his days with the Titans, maybe even the Texans, could bring some much-needed talent to the New England roster.
So it was no surprise when several ex-Titans signed last offseason, perhaps most notably linebacker Harold Landry III. Vrabel drafted him in his first season in Tennessee, and because of that, he believed he could be a productive part of the Patriots' defense, especially as the leading pass rusher.
Because the roster was seriously lacking at that position, it was hard to argue against signing him, even if he wasn't the destructive pass rusher many Patriots fans hoped for.
Fortunately, he proved a solid performer, recording a team-high 8.5 sacks in 15 games and proving well worth the investment.
Since the end of last season, however, he has been absent from Foxboro with an injury, missing all of training camp and the preseason, which landed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list before the 2026 season began.
Now that we're headed into Week 9, many questions remain about whether Landry will even play this year, and while Vrabel hasn't said that yet, his latest update offers little optimism that we'll see him on the field anytime soon, if at all this year.
Harold Landry doesn't sound any closer to returning to the Patriots ahead of Week 9
With many hoping the Patriots make a move for an edge defender before the trade deadline, it was inevitable that Vrabel was asked about Landry this week, to which he didn't have much of an update to share.
When asked about his status and potential to return at some point this season, the head coach said,
"I would say that anybody that's still here and that's getting treatment is tracking. How quickly they track or what that pace is, I don't know. I just know that he's working extremely hard, and like I've said a few times before, whenever he's ready, he'll he'll start to return to play or he'll start that process.
He's doing some things on the side. He's doing some things with the strength coaches and the trainers, and I know he's working hard."
It wasn't much of a real update, especially since his last one a few weeks ago was nearly as vague, and it's starting to feel like the Patriots might have some Landry regret.
Even if he can play over the next nine weeks, it will take time for him to take the field, since he hasn't practiced since the week of the Super Bowl earlier this year. That's a long time away from football, and he'll need plenty of practice to get up to speed with this year's defense, so any optimism about Landry's return and his potential impact this year is starting to fade.
Concerns were already mounting about him being the leading pass rusher last season, despite his clear productivity, because his inconsistency raised questions. Now that he's been away from the game for so long, those worries are only getting louder.
At this point, it almost seems fair to believe we won't see Landry this season, which is disappointing. The pass rush will rely solely on rookie Gabe Jacas and Elijah Ponder, both of whom have excelled this season, but they could certainly use some help.
Whether the Patriots make a move before the deadline is difficult to predict, even if they have limited cap space, but it's clear that Landry will remain out indefinitely, and that's a major disappointment for what could have been an even better defense.
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