Texans GM Nick Caserio will extend an opportunity to one of the skill-position regulars he helped draft while with the Patriots. Houston is bringing in Shane Vereen for a front-office role.
The former New England running back is joining the Caserio-led Houston front office as a player personnel assistant, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. This will mark a transition into the executive ranks for Vereen, who retired a few years back.
Most recently working as an analyst for the Pac-12 Network, Vereen is obviously best remembered for his on-field roles. The most notable of those came with the Patriots, who drafted Vereen in the 2011 second round out of Cal. Vereen, 35, enjoyed a seven-year playing career spent with the Pats and Giants.
As a New England cog, Vereen filled an important role in a Tom Brady-centered offensive scheme. The Patriots had employed the likes of Kevin Faulk and Danny Woodhead as previous passing-down backs; Vereen ended up taking over in this capacity and held the job until the team let him walk in free agency ahead of James White‘s lengthy run. Vereen topped 400 receiving yards from 2013-15, with his most productive season (838 scrimmage yards, five touchdowns) coming during the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX-winning 2014 slate.
After a catching 11 passes for 64 yards in the Pats’ last-second win over the Seahawks, Vereen signed a three-year, $12.35M deal with the Giants in 2015. He played out that contract but did not catch on anywhere else following the 2017 season. Caserio, who was in place as Bill Belichick‘s right-hand man in personnel when the team drafted Vereen, will reunite with the four-year Patriot as the Texans enter their highest-profile season in many years.
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