During the entire offseason, the Patriots HC Mike Vrabel kept reiterating the same stuff. They will keep bringing people until he feels that the roster is complete. But the preseason has brought a new challenge for him. Injuries! They hit you when you least expect them.

They won the preseason opener with a scintillating 48-18 score. But during the process, their rookie Lan Larison got injured. It was an enormous blow. But Vrabel wasn’t moved from his seat. Unfazed, he went ahead and made a massive addition. Deneric Prince!

Patriots beat reporter Doug Kyed revealed the news on August 10 on X, “The Patriots are signing RB Deneric Prince and placing RB Lan Larison on injured reserve, per source.”

The Tulsa product first landed in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs. The measurables were there, size, burst, that north-south running style coaches like in short-yardage situations. But roster spots in Kansas City are precious. And they bid him goodbye after handing him the Super Bowl LVIII ring of 2023.

After some time shuffling between the practice squad and active roster, he enjoyed a short stint with the Miami Dolphins. Same story, flashes of potential, but no long-term home. That’s where the spring leagues stepped in. The UFL’s Memphis Showboats made him RB1 in 2025, and he took the role like a lifeline.

Nine starts in ten games. 340 rushing yards, two scores, a modest 3.2 yards per carry in an offense that had more moving parts than stability. He chipped in 109 receiving yards and handled kickoff duties, returning 13 for 227 yards. On a team dealing with quarterback changes and coaching turnover, Prince was one of the few constants. The tape mattered. The reps mattered.

And now, they’ve led to another NFL call, this time from Mike Vrabel. It’s not a promise, it’s a chance. But for a running back like Prince, that’s all you need.

For now, the coach is also taking care of his injured rookie.

Mike Vrabel putting Lan Larison on IR

Lan Larison’s summer with the Patriots had been building toward a moment like Friday night of August 8. An undrafted rookie out of UC Davis, he’d turned heads in OTAs, faded a bit in training camp, and then, under the lights in Foxborough, came alive again. Late in the fourth quarter against Washington, he broke through the line for the Patriots’ final score, a burst of power and urgency that felt like a resume highlight in real time. He finished the night with seven carries for 35 yards and two catches for nine yards, showing the versatility coaches covet.

But football’s cruelest twist is how quickly momentum can evaporate. Minutes after that touchdown, Larison left the field and was later spotted in a walking boot. Initially, it seemed the boot might be precautionary, with tests to determine the severity. But by Sunday morning, Mike Vrabel confirmed the news, the Patriots were placing him on injured reserve and signing former Tulsa running back Deneric Prince to fill the roster spot.

For a player already on the roster bubble, buried behind Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, and rookie TreVeyon Henderson, this is a crushing blow. Injured reserve ends his rookie campaign before it truly began. The practice squad remains a possibility in the future. But for now, Larison’s NFL journey shifts from proving himself on the field to rehabbing and keeping himself in the Patriots’ plans for 2026.

He’s already shown he can deliver when the moment finds him. Now, the real test begins, turning this setback into fuel and staying in the playbook. Because in the NFL, it’s not just about getting your shot. It’s about making sure it’s not your last.