One Dark Horse Who Should Make the Patriots Roster After OTAs
The New England Patriots announced that they've moved up their mandatory minicamp a week, meaning that the open OTA periods are officially over for the season. Reporters got a look at two sessions and began to get a better understanding of the team heading into the summer months.
It's truly hard to judge a lot of what goes on at these practices, as they are slower in tempo, non-contact and don't have anybody in pads. It's difficult to truly judge if someone is popping because of an offseason improvement, or if they are just good football players in shorts.
But for the Patriots in 2026, one player shined in front of the cameras that some people may not have expected. Running back Lan Larison, entering his second season in the NFL, looked the part during the two 90-minute sessions and should be in contention for a roster spot come Week 1.
Larison, who shined last summer before suffering a season-ending foot injury in the preseason opener, was an elite pass catching back at UC-Davis in college. He had signed an undrafted contract ahead of last season and was fighting for the team's third running back spot.
That competition has carried over into 2026, and Larison may be leading the race. Behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson on the depth chart is a bit of a mystery, but Larison helped clear that up last week.
During New England's practice on May 27, Larison was one of four running backs to catch a pass out of the backfield. He also got plenty of reps with the starting offense, often working as their primary third down back in some scenarios.
Lan Larison Making The Most Of His Chances
But what does that truly mean? Is Larison going to win a job based on those OTA showings alone?
Of course not. It's an interesting thing to note, though. Because the Patriots had such turnover as their RB3 spot a season ago, that fight for the job should be one of the primary positional battles to watch this summer. Larison, at the start of last month, felt like a player on the outside looking in.
I wrote how the second-year Larison didn't really have the resume, or the votes of confidence, to truly have a shot to make the 53-man roster. Terrell Jennings shined last year, scoring his first career touchdown. Jam Miller (seventh round) and Myles Montgomery (highest UDFA contract in franchise history) both come to New England with the team wanting them.
Was Larison just the odd man out? It felt like it. Boy, was that quickly proven wrong.
There's still plenty of time for Larison to make or break the success he's begun to create in OTAs. Mandatory minicamp will be another box to check off on his return, and could be the next step in his fight to make the 53-man roster. If the 24-year-old can carve out a role as a true pass catching threat out of the backfield (and add in some value on several special teams units), watch out for Larison sticking around this fall.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as One Dark Horse Who Should Make the Patriots Roster After OTAs.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 7:00 AM.