New England released 24-year-old running back Lan Larison on Sunday, the last domino in a backfield reboot that started with a trade for Corey Kiner.
Larison spent training camp fighting for the No. 3 running back job behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, and the competition ended without him landing it.
The move came as New England worked through the final wave of cuts just minutes before the NFL’s 6 p.m. ET deadline for trimming rosters to 53 players, as reported by MassLive‘s Mark Daniels. Rookie running back Jam Miller was waived the same day with an injury designation, leaving Stevenson, Henderson and newly acquired Corey Kiner as the position group’s settled names.
Lan Larison’s Path to New England
Larison, 24, signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2025 out of UC Davis. Over five seasons there, he carried the ball 641 times for 3,634 yards and 41 touchdowns across 50 games, and his 2024 season alone produced a school-record 1,465 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns and 62 catches for 847 yards, according to the Boston Globe.
He never got to build on that production as a pro. A broken foot in last year’s preseason opener put him on injured reserve before his rookie season began, wiping out the entire year. Larison spent this summer working his way back into shape, both as a running back and as a kickoff returner.
“I feel like I’m doing all right, staying on track,” he said in early August, as quoted by Sports Illustrated. “It’s been a minute, so I’m just trying to get back in the swing of things and stay focused and do my job.”
He showed flashes in the preseason, catching six passes in the opener against Indianapolis, then running for 33 yards and a touchdown on nine carries against Philadelphia, adding a 28-yard reception in that game as well. Coach Mike Vrabel singled out that performance afterward.
“Lan certainly had a good performance, a gritty, tough performance tonight, and did some really good things,” Vrabel said. “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.”
Larison was on a three-year deal worth just under $3 million, with $175,000 fully guaranteed, according to Over The Cap. His 2026 cap charge sat at $1,013,333 before Sunday’s move.
Patriots Running Back Room After the Cuts
New England sent a 2028 seventh-round pick to Arizona for Kiner, then released veterans Hassan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty in corresponding moves, according to NESN. That trade appeared to indicate that New England wanted certainty behind its top two backs rather than banking on the open competition to sort itself out.
Larison and Miller were the two names left standing after that purge, and neither survived the weekend. Miller, a seventh-round pick out of Alabama, was waived with an injury designation and would revert to injured reserve if he clears waivers, according to CBS Sports.
That leaves Stevenson, Henderson and Kiner as New England’s running backs on the initial 53-man roster, with fullback Reggie Gilliam also in the mix in some projections. Larison, unless claimed elsewhere, appears likely to join the New England practice squad if he clears waivers Monday afternoon.
Patriots Cut 3,000-Yard College RB Minutes Before 53-Man Roster Deadline