Cleveland Browns trim QB ranks by releasing Connor Shaw
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns have one less quarterback on the roster after releasing third-year player Connor Shaw.
The Cleveland Browns now have one more open seat in the quarterback room after the team released Connor Shaw on Thursday.
The club announced the move on its website.
It is not surprising as the Browns had five quarterbacks on the roster prior to the transaction, and with Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown and third-round draft pick Cody Kessler the likely candidates to make the final 53-man roster this fall, Shaw and fellow quarterback Austin Davis were always likely to be the odd men out.
@Browns Thankful for the two years spent in CLE. Learned & grew a lot! Ready to see where God guides my family next!
— Connor Shaw (@cmshaw14) June 30, 2016
Despite the reality of the situation, Shaw had gone into the summer break with a positive attitude.
“We have five quarterbacks so reps are rare, but I’m taking advantage of the reps I get. It is still a good room to be in,” Shaw told thestate.com while preparing to host a football camp earlier this month in Irmo, S.C. “We got rid of our personnel department, too. We pretty much scratched everyone who brought me there, but I stuck through OTAs with the new staff, and I think they have plans.
An undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2014 – where he won 27 games for the Gamecocks to become the program’s all-time winningest quarterback – Shaw made one start for the Browns that season in Week 17, aka the annual third-string quarterback debut.
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That day against the Baltimore Ravens Shaw completed 14-of-28 passes for 177 yards and an interception. His toughness was also on display that day, which endeared him to his teammates and stood in stark contrast to the first-round quarterback who shared a roster spot with Shaw that year.
A year ago Shaw was drawing praise for his work, but his season came to a premature end when he injured his thumb during the preseason opener against the Washington Redskins. The injury eventually led to season-ending surgery.
Even though he tried to remain optimistic about his standing with the Browns, Shaw has also been working on a second career.
“I’m a coach at heart,” Shaw told The State. “I grew up in a coach’s family. I enjoy it and I’m good at instructing kids. It’s a lot of fun. We have a lot of camps that we scholarship in underprivileged kids that really don’t ever get a chance to do that, and you can just tell it lights their day up.
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“I have kind of always envisioned that all my life, seeing myself as a coach, but we’ll see. I’d love to end up at my alma mater one day.”