Mike Vrabel breaks silence on Harold Landry's 2025 return.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel on Wednesday offered his most detailed public update on veteran pass rusher Harold Landry Jr., who has not participated in full football activities since the end of the 2025 season.

Landry, 31, has been on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list since before the start of the 2026 season.

He missed all of minicamp, all of training camp, and all of the preseason.

He has not played a single snap this year.

The question of whether he will return at all this season has hung over the Patriots for months.

Vrabel was asked directly on Wednesday whether Landry is getting any closer to a return in 2026.

His answer was careful but not dismissive.

“I would say that anybody that’s still here and that’s getting treatment is tracking [to return],” Vrabel said.

“How quickly they track or what that pace is I don’t know.”

“I just know that he’s working extremely hard, and like I’ve said a few times before, whenever he’s ready, he’ll start to return to play or he’ll start that process.”

Vrabel then described what Landry is currently doing with the team.

“He’s doing some things on the side,” Vrabel said.

“He’s doing some things with the strength coaches and the trainers, and I know he’s working hard.”

Landry has been hindered by knee injuries dating back to last season.

He appeared in 15 games with the Patriots in 2025, posting a team-best 8.5 sacks.

He also recorded 10 tackles for loss, 19 quarterback hits, and one forced fumble.

The former Boston College standout impressed early in the 2025 season after signing with New England.

In his first seven games with his new team, Landry posted 5.5 sacks and 12 QB hits.

But his production waned as the rest of the season went on.

He recorded only three more sacks the rest of the regular season.

His postseason performance was even more limited.

He missed the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos.

He logged just 25 total snaps in both the AFC Divisional Round against the Houston Texans and Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.

Since that Super Bowl, Landry has not taken part in full football activities with the Patriots.

Landry played for Vrabel earlier in his career when both were with the Tennessee Titans.

That history makes Vrabel’s update particularly notable.

Vrabel knows Landry’s work ethic, his injury history, and his ceiling better than most coaches.

The Patriots’ pass-rushing corps has been one of the team’s most encouraging developments so far this season.

New England is among just eight teams in the league to record at least 22 sacks through the first half of the season.

New England posted only 35 total sacks all of last year.

The emergence of younger pass rushers like Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas has been critical to New England’s success in getting after opposing quarterbacks.

But the Patriots could use some reinforcements for the stretch run.

That is where Landry’s potential availability becomes significant.

Landry was the Patriots’ defensive captain in 2025.

He was a team leader on and off the field.

His return would not just add a proven pass rusher — it would add a voice in the locker room that has been missing all season.

The NFL’s PUP list rules allow a player to return to practice after a certain window, but the clock is ticking.

If Landry does not return to practice soon, he will not have enough time to get into game shape before the playoffs.

Vrabel did not give a timeline.

He did not say whether Landry will practice next week or next month.

But he did say Landry is still with the team, still working, and still tracking toward a potential return.

That is more than anyone outside the organization knew before Wednesday.

For Patriots fans, that single word — “tracking” — is the first real sign of hope they have gotten all year.

There is no guarantee Landry will play another snap this season.

Knee injuries at age 31 are not simple.

The fact that he has not practiced in months suggests the recovery has been slow.

But Vrabel’s update confirms that Landry has not been shut down for the year.

He has not been placed on injured reserve.

He remains on the roster.