The Patriots’ offense underwent a massive makeover this offseason and picked up some promising talent through this year’s draft. Perhaps the most exciting development over the last few months has been the number of undrafted free agents that have already taken off at practice, with many looking like they might make the 2025 roster over seasoned veterans.
Among the most impressive has been running back Lan Larison, who joined fellow UDFA Efton Chism III as the superstars of the spring with standout performances during OTAs and minicamp. It immediately put them both on the map, with Larison looking like he had a more challenging road to making the roster, as Antonio Gibson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Rhamondre Stevenson already filled the running back room.
While that remains true even through one preseason game, Larison made sure the game didn’t end before he made a big-time play, which he ran late in the fourth quarter as the final score of the game for the Patriots.
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It was an excellent showing for a player who appears to be on the roster bubble, but his night didn’t end as optimistically as one would have hoped.
Larison suffered an injury that forced him to leave the field before the game was over and was later seen in the locker room wearing a walking boot. That’s not a great sign for how severe the injury could be and certainly not great for his chances of making the team’s 53-man roster this year.
Lan Larison is wearing a walking boot in the locker room
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Lan Larison’s spot on the Patriots’ 2025 roster looks more bleak now than it ever has
A promising showing during the team’s first preseason game was exactly what Larison needed, after a mostly quiet training camp so far. That wasn’t the path many expected he would be on after an impressive showing at OTAs, so the fact he was able to turn things around when it mattered most was a great sign.
The injury, however, now casts a lot of doubt on what it means for his Patriots future. Although we don’t know the severity of his injury just yet, the fact that he’s already wearing a walking boot is concerning. It could be precautionary, which would be the best-case scenario, but it’s too early to tell.
Missing any time during training camp would be a massive blow to Larison’s chances to take the spotlight during practice and prove he is a viable candidate to make the team. The hope is, at the very least, he can make the practice squad and not get stolen by another team in the process.
But that seems more likely than not given the depth the Patriots have at the position, especially after seeing just how explosive Henderson was during their preseason matchup against the Commanders.
As one of the positions with the deepest roster, it wasn’t expected to be easy for Larison to leapfrog Gibson to make the team. But now the injury sets him back even further and might put his Patriots future in the rearview mirror.
