Shane Vereen, Josh Boyce Injury Updates
New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen (34) runs the ball as Denver Broncos strong safety Mike Adams (20) moves in for the tackle during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Broncos 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots have been dealing with some incredibly bad luck on the injury front throughout the 2013 season, and Patriots fans let out a collective grown when ace pass-catching back Shane Vereen went down with a groin injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s big blowout win over the Baltimore Ravens. Vereen already missed a large chunk of time this season after being placed on the short-term injured reserve following a broken wrist during a monster Week 1 performance against the Buffalo Bills.
However, it doesn’t seem like this groin injury is of any concern going forward. Not only did he participate in the Patriots walkthrough on Tuesday, but he also practiced yesterday and is back at practice today. There is little doubt that Vereen is healthy enough to play this week against the Buffalo Bills, and there is even less doubt that he’ll be ready for the playoffs. He’s an enormous piece to this offense due to his explosiveness, pass-catching ability, versatility, and rushing ability.
TCU rookie Josh Boyce started at the “X” receiver position for the New England Patriots for two weeks when Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson were down, but he suffered an ankle injury against the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago and did not play against the Ravens. According to ESPN Boston’s Field Yates, Boyce did not practice today, and it looks like his fate as an inactive this week has been sealed. Dobson is back in the fold and it remains to be seen if Kenbrell Thompkins will return as well, but the Patriots won’t have their third-string “X” receiver healthy this week.