Patriots Safety Brock Vereen Retires; Nate Ebner Officially Activated

FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots safety Brock Vereen was a surprise absentee at Monday’s joint practice with the Chicago Bears, his former team.

We now know why.

Vereen, the brother of former Patriots running back Shane Vereen, was placed on the reserve/retired list. It’s currently unclear why Vereen retired. He was having a solid training camp for the Patriots, though he only played in the fourth quarter of their preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints.

Vereen was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Bears, and finishes his career with 39 tackles and one interception. The Patriots signed Vereen to their practice squad midway through the 2015 season.

The Patriots also officially activated safety Nate Ebner from the reserve/did not report list. He didn’t practice Monday but could show up this week in joint practices with the Bears. Ebner competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics on the U.S. rugby team.

Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images