The top two running back spots on the New England Patriots 2026 depth chart have been settled since the Super Bowl ended. But the RB3 role could still be up for grabs with now less than a week until the league’s final roster cuts.
Former undrafted free agent Lan Larison made a strong case for the spot Saturday night. Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 of the NFL preseason, Larison posted 33 rushing yards on nine carries with a touchdown.
He also caught three passes for 41 receiving yards. One of his receptions went for a 28-yard gain.
Yet, 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth predicted Larison to miss the cut. Instead, Barth projected Hassan Haskins to be the team’s RB3 to open the season.
Barth used deductive reasoning to come to that conclusion.
“Did the Patriots give Larison more carries to get a longer look at him? If so, he should have impressed the coaches and made a serious roster push,” wrote Barth. “Or did he have those bulk carries because the team didn’t want to risk Haskins, whose usage reflected that of a player the team already plans to roster.
“Haskins looked like the third back for most of the last week of practice. We’ll assume the latter for now, especially after Vrabel noted the team was being careful managing certain players due to lack of depth.”
Unlike top two running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, Haskins played in Week 2 of the preseason. But Haskins only received four touches.
Larison and Jam Miller combined for 23 touches.
RB Lan Larison Projected to Miss Cut for Patriots
Getty98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth projected running back Lan Larison to miss the New England Patriots roster despite a stellar Week 2 in the NFL preseason.
At running back, Barth only listed three running backs on the team’s first 53-man roster. So, in addition to Larison, the analyst sees the Patriots cutting Miller.
At the end of his roster predictions article from Monday, Barth named three players “last on” the roster and “last off” the roster. Larison was one of the three “last off” the team.
Additionally, he predicted edge rusher Quintayvious Hutchins and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor as the other two “last off.”
Larison played college football at UC Davis from 2020-24. He made first-team FCS All-American during the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. He was also the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.
The Patriots signed Larison as an undrafted free agent last year. He landed on injured reserve on August 10 because of a season-ending foot injury.
New England RB Depth Entering Preseason Week 3
GettyFormer undrafted running back Lan Larison is trying to make the New England Patriots roster for the first time.
The Patriots will enter the final week of the preseason with six running backs on their roster. In addition to Stevenson, Henderson, Haskins, Larison and Miller, the team also has veteran JaMycal Hasty.
Most pundits appear to see the RB3 role between Haskins and Miller. But Larison really played well versus the Eagles.
Whether or not it will move the needle remains a lasting question. Head coach Mike Vrabel, though, sounded impressed.
“Lan certainly had a good performance, a gritty, tough performance tonight, and did some really good things,” Vrabel told reporters. “It is fourth and one. He gets hit behind the line of scrimmage and finds a way to get the first down. Then he is able to break a couple tackles there on third down when we needed it at the end of the game, so he did some good things.”
The Patriots must cut their roster to 53 players by 6 pm ET on August 30. They have one preseason game remaining before that.
New England will face the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, August 27.
Patriots Rising Ex-UDFA Predicted to Miss Roster Despite Strong Preseason Outing