Texans hire former New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen as player personnel assistant

A former New England Patriots running back is headed to the Houston Texans. No, it’s a rewind to the 2021 season when Rex Burkhead hopped on a plane to NRG Stadium.

The Texans are hiring former Patriots standout Shane Vereen as a player personnel assistant, according to KPRC2 Sports Aaron Wilson . Vereen previously worked as a college football analyst for Pac-12 Network and FOX Sports.

A standout runner from Cal drafted in the second round in 2011, Vereen spent seven seasons in the pros before retiring in 2018. During his time with the Patriots and Giants, he rushed for 1,489  yards and eight touchdowns. Vereen also caught 221 passes for 1,864 yards and 11 scores.

Most used as a secondary runner, Vereen made waves during New England’s Super Bowl appearance in 2015 against the Seahawks. In Glendale, he caught a team-high 11 passes for 64 yards en route to a 28-24 win.

Texans fans likely remember Vereen best for his performance in the 2012 divisional round playoff win, where he posted a career-high three touchdowns on five catches and seven rush attempts for 114 yards of offense.

General manager Nick Caserio knows Vereen well from his time in the Patriots’ player personnel department under Bill Belichick. Now, Vereen gets to reunite with one of the people who believed in him coming out of the then-Pac-10 in the pros.