FOXBOROUGH — Brock Vereen played all 16 games as a rookie with the Bears, but he'd only appear in three more before calling it a career.
Vereen, 23, filed for retirement Monday, a surprising move given his age.
Vereen, who spent time on the Patriots practice squad last season, was a longshot to make New England's 53-man roster. He had been practicing at safety, perhaps the team's deepest position.
Still, Vereen had several bright moments in camp. He had interceptions in back-to-back practices, picking off Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett.
Vereen is the brother of former Patriots running back Shane Vereen, whose 11 receptions in Super Bowl XLIX are the most by any running back in Super Bowl history.