Going into his second season with the New England Patriots, linebacker Harold Landry was hoping to avoid the injury issues that plagued him a year ago. That won’t be the case to start the year, though.
The Patriots have placed Landry on the PUP List. That means he’s going to miss at least the first four games of the season. The team announced the move on Sunday.
It was a definitive answer for where Landry currently stands. As recently as the Patriots’ final preseason game, head coach Mike Vrabel was still non-committal on the subject. He said, “And so, we just want to be very careful and smart with them and not force them into anything. But on the same note, if they can do and relatively perform where we expect them to and where they expect themselves to, that could be a possibility that we could be able to bring those guys off.”
Clearly, Landry wasn’t able to get off the PUP list. Now, the Patriots are going to be without one of their key defenders.
New England Patriots LB Harold Landry Had Injury Issues in 2025
The Patriots brought in Harold Landry on a three-year, $43.5 million deal prior to the 2025 season. He would end up playing in 15 games during the regular season, but was often limited due to a knee injury.
Even with the injury, Landry was one of the Patriots’ most effective pass rushers. He’d finish the year with 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss.
In the offseason, following the Super Bowl, Landry underwent knee surgery. Since then, he’s been rehabbing extensively to get back on the field.
The Patriots placed Landry on the PUP List back on July 21st. At the time, there had been more optimism that he’d be ready for the season.
With much being made during the offseason about the Patriots’ pass rush, including injury concerns for second-round pick Gabe Jacas, the hope was that Landry would be good to go for the start of the season. However, now that it’s clear he’ll miss time again, New England is going to see its depth tested extensively against a difficult September schedule.
Other Patriots Roster Designations
Unfortunately for the Patriots, when they released their 53-man roster, Harold Landry wasn’t the only roster designation they needed to make. There were a couple of other players who needed to be accounted for.
Offensive lineman Marcus Bryant landed on Injured Reserve. Similar to the PUP List, this means that Bryant is going to miss at least four games to start the season for the Patriots. Once cleared to practice, he’ll have 21 days to either be activated or placed on season-ending IR.
The main difference between IR and PUP designations is that PUP players count against the roster limit. Players on IR don’t. They can also be activated at any time.
The Patriots also placed Brenden Schooler on the NFI (non-football injury/illness) List. He’s been on that list since July 24th, and like Landry had been some hope he could come back before the start of the season. NFI players don’t count against the 53-man roster and need to miss at least four games.
For a team that Mike Vrabel sounded off about depth concerns, injuries are never a good sign. In particular, when they’re dealing with them before the season even begins.
Patriots Injury Update: PUP List Decision on Harold Landry