Shane Vereen Injury: Updates on Patriots Star's Shoulder and Return

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 21

Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports Shane Vereen's status for today's game:

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New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen is questionable for Week 3 while dealing with a shoulder injury, per NESN's Doug Kyed:

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Third-down back Shane Vereen is questionable against the Raiders with a shoulder injury. Linebacker Jamie Collins (thigh), cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (shoulder), defensive end Michael Buchanan (ankle), safety Don Jones (hamstring) and center Ryan Wendell (knee) also are questionable for Sunday's game.

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In 2013, Vereen was hampered by a wrist injury that caused him to play in just eight games. Despite the setback, he still finished the season with 4.7 yards per carry and a touchdown. More importantly, he was a big contributor in the passing game. 

Heading into the 2014 season, Vereen spoke about what last year meant to him, per Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald (subscription required):

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Last year was a steppingstone, but there’s a lot more to go. .There’s so much I need to get better at, and I’m just working at it every day to get to that point.

My focus is on the success of the team. That’s where it’s at right now. I just want to continue to get better, help my team, and continue to be someone Tom [Brady] can rely on.

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Where Vereen makes a significant impact is in the passing game for Tom Brady. The versatile back finished 2013 with 47 receptions for 427 yards and three touchdowns—the latter two stats were more than double his respective production on the ground.

That impact in the passing game was evident in training camp, as Erik Frenz of Bleacher Report and Boston.com notes:

If Vereen is forced to miss any playing time due to the injury, the Pats have enough depth at the position to win in his absence. With a stable of backs that includes Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden and James White, New England appears to be in good hands.

As for who will likely take over the versatility role, White might be ready to catch some passes out of the backfield and see an increased role. Prior to the season, running backs coach Ivan Fears spoke about White's potential, via Guregian.

“The kid’s got the potential to be like (Vereen), but we’ll see,” Fears said. “It’s too early to say what he’s going to be. He has the same skill set as Shane, but I think James will play different. We’ll find out together on that.”

That might be put to the test if Vereen ultimately misses time. But with the chemistry that Vereen has with Brady, it might not be that simple to replace the dynamic back on the field.

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