Former Golden Gophers DB Brock Vereen Waived By the Chicago Bears

Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

After an 0-3 start, the Chicago Bears have started a house cleaning this week. Trades of defensive end Jared Allen and linebacker Jonathan Bostic started things on Monday night, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported on Tuesday that safety Brock Vereen has been waived by the Bears.

Vereen was drafted in the fourth round (131st overall) in 2014 after starting 36 games as a safety and a cornerback during his college career at Minnesota. He played in all 16 games and made four starts for the Bears as a rookie, with 39 total tackles, a forced fumble and an interception, but Vereen was demoted this preseason and had seen little playing time over the first three games.

Even in very limited action, Vereen found himself in some negative spotlight last Sunday. He was on the receiving end of a huge block during Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett’s 105-yard return of the second half kickoff for a touchdown, and a coverage mismatch against tight end Jimmy Graham yielded a touchdown for Seattle. Vereen does not deserve all the blame for those scoring plays, but his shortcomings being on full display may have sealed his fate as the Bears start their rebuild early.

I’m not ready to write Vereen off as a NFL player, since the versatility he showed as a Golden Gophers’ defensive back has presumably not gone away. The Bears deeming him unfit for their 53-man roster may serve as red flag to some, and perhaps rightfully so, but I take the opposite angle and fully expect Vereen to be claimed off waivers later this week.

If he lands in the right situation, Vereen can absolutely still become a consistent contributor or possibly a starter in someone’s secondary. Even with a new regime in place and an attempt to correct mistakes of the recent past, the Bears can hardly be called a highly functional organization at this point. Giving up on a young player that you’ve hardly seen is not generally advised, and jettisoning Vereen so quickly is bound to be a move Chicago will regret down the road.