Shane Vereen has cast removed
New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen (34) during the fourth quarter at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Patriots beat the Bills 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen is eligible to return from the short-term injured reserve in Week 11, because the Patriots have a bye week in Week 10, which is the normal date when players are allowed to return from the short-term I.R. Vereen injured a small bone in his wrist during the clutch Week 1 rivalry win over the Buffalo Bills, and Vereen had trouble taking off his socks after the game. The incredible thing is that Vereen was able to have such a huge game whilst playing through the injury, as he ran the ball just 14 times for 101 rushing yards and added an excellent seven receptions for 58 yards in a key performance.
The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe reports that Shane Vereen no longer has a “hard cast” on his wrist, and it sounds like he should be back on that Week 11 date for sure. Vereen’s expected timeline was shorter than the Week 11 date, but the Patriots wisely decided to go for the extra roster spot; I’m sure their depth at RB was at least a minor reason for that.
This is probably the only remotely good news on the injury front for the New England Patriots, and the Pats have had brutal luck on the injury front (they dealt with a few tough injuries last year but nothing like this) so far. Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork are out for the season, Danny Amendola is set to miss some more time with a new injury (concussion), Tommy Kelly is battling an injury, Rob Gronkowski still hasn’t returned, Shane Vereen did hit the short-term I.R. after just one game, and now Aqib Talib is nicked up.
Once Vereen comes back, though, the Patriots offense will be getting a huge weapon back in the fold, and it’s great to hear that he is making progress by no longer having the cast on his right wrist.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe. Be sure to like us on Facebook here and follow our site on Twitter as well.