The New England Patriots reached the 2026 cutdown day to get to their 53-man roster. Yet changes continue to unfold almost daily as they tinker with the bottom of the roster. That's a good thing, since even Mike Vrabel thinks his team is not a deep one.
One player who was waived and then re-signed to the practice squad was running back, Lan Larison.
Keeping the second-year Larison on the 53-man roster would have been a good idea, but the trade with Arizona for running back Corey Kiner made that a long shot. Kiner was moved right onto the squad as the third running back, though his 2025 stats as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) rookie signing are nothing to write home about.
The 5'10", 213-pound Kiner had a mere 79 carries for 229 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. Those stats bested Larison's totals, since he was on injured reserve the entire season.
Regardless, Larison's tremendous college stats at UC Davis indicated that he's a multi-purpose back who can both run and catch the ball equally well.
New England Patiots should have kept Lan Larison on the 53-man roster
While they may have made a mistake in not adding Larison to the 53-man roster, at least they were astute enough to bring him back on the practice squad. Running backs, like every other position on the team except maybe the kickers, get injured, and having him primed to step in and step up is a positive.
Larison's last season at UC Davis was prolific, both on the ground and through the air. He racked up 1,465 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on the ground and added 62 catches for 847 yards and another six scores through the air.
He's a versatile dual-threat player who can do good things both as a runner and a pass-catcher. In the 2026 preseason for the Patriots, he gained 38 yards on 11 carries and added another 79 yards on nine catches, as well.
It's in the latter area that his talents will most likely be applied if he is activated to a game-day roster. While both Rhamondre Stevenson and explosive runner TreVeyon Henderson are decent pass-catchers, Larison is likely to be as effective or more so than either of the two top backs through the air.
Kiner, on the other hand, was a solid runner in his last two seasons at Cincinnati, racking up more than 1000 yards in each. Yet, his top number of catches in college in a season was only 16 for 111 yards in 2024. Larison is a far superior option through the air.
The Patriots made a risky decision to waive Lan Larison on cutdown day. Yet, at least they had sense enough to bring him back on the practice squad, though he can be claimed by another team there. There's little likelihood that a running back won't get dinged up this season.
If so, the Patriots, with their budding MVP quarterback Drake Maye throwing him the ball, will be the beneficiary if Larison is the first man up.
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