Patriots Elevate Lan Larison and Mitch Wishnowsky for Seattle Opener

The New England Patriots are doing that thing where they shuffle the deck chairs right before kickoff. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that New England is elevating running back Lan Larison and punter Mitch Wishnowsky from the practice squad for tonight's season opener in Seattle.

Calling up a punter hours before a game is usually the NFL equivalent of your car's check engine light flashing. It means whoever was supposed to be kicking the ball away is either dealing with a sudden issue or the coaching staff just decided they needed a different leg. Wishnowsky now gets the nod to handle the field position battle in one of the loudest stadiums in the league.

Then there is the Larison elevation. Bringing up a practice squad running back for a cross-country road game usually means the team wants some extra insurance in the backfield. Whether that translates to actual offensive snaps or just standing on the sideline playing special teams remains to be seen.

For anyone staring at Patriots player props tonight, this is the kind of late-week noise that makes you second-guess your card. A backfield rotation just got slightly more crowded, and the special teams unit is getting a last-minute patch job before the lights even come on.

We will see if Larison actually gets to touch the rock or if Wishnowsky ends up being the busiest guy on the field for New England. Either way, the Patriots are officially tinkering before the season even officially starts.