Vereen was released by the Bears on Tuesday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

A fourth-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, Vereen struggled in his four starts last season, then barely played through the first three weeks of the current campaign. Despite his draft status, he may have to wait until next year to get a shot with another team.

Vereen was active for the Bears' Week 1 loss to the Packers but didn't record a tackle.

Vereen saw limited snaps after losing out in the competition for the starting free safety job to Adrian Amos. Neither Amos or Vereen played particularly well in training camp, so it's quite possible that coach John Fox could continue to use practices as a gauge for which player sees the bulk of the playing time at the position during the games to follow.

Vereen finished his first NFL season with 39 tackles and one interception over 16 games.

Used sparingly in the first half of the season, Vereen saw 60-plus snaps in four of the final five games in what amounted to a de facto audition for a 2015 starting job. He didn't exactly seize the opportunity, but the team seems to like his athleticism enough to carve out a larger role for him next season, especially with Chris Conte bound for free agency. Of course, the Bears could spend another draft pick on a safety or bring in a veteran during training camp, so Vereen's path to a starting role is far from clear.

Vereen made four tackles and forced a fumble in Monday's loss to the Saints.

Though he was credited with generating the first turnover of his career, Vereen's lapses in coverage put a damper on his performance. He was making the start in place of Chris Conte (back), who is uncertain to play in the Bears' final two games of the season. Due to a lack of more attractive options, look for Vereen to remain in a starting role as long as Conte remains out.

Vereen will make his first NFL start at free safety Sunday versus the Dolphins, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

With Chris Conte ruled out of action with a shoulder injury, Vereen will step in to form a safety tandem with Ryan Mundy. Vereen, a rookie fourth-rounder from Minnesota, has compiled seven tackles while playing as a reserve in the Bears' first six games.