HEADLINES

Connor Shaw

Bears Claim Connor Shaw Off Waivers

July 1st, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Ben Levine

<a rel=The Bears have claimed quarterback Connor Shaw off waivers, reports Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager (via Twitter). Previous reports indicated that the Saints had won the former Browns signal-caller. However, Schrager notes that the Bears, who were one spot above the Saints in the waiver order, snuck in to secure the 24-year-old. According to ESPN.com’s Adap Caplan (via Twitter), the Saints accidently sent an email to every NFL team instead of the NFL personnel office, notifying Chicago of the impending move.

The Browns waived Shaw yesterday, with the former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina being squeezed out by Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, and rookie Cody Kessler. Shaw has only made one NFL appearance, when he compiled 177 passing yards and a touchdown during the Browns 2014 finale. The quarterback landed on the injured reserve last season with a thumb ailment.

With the move to Chicago, Shaw will join his former quarterback coach, Dowell Loggains, who is now the Bears’ offensive coordinator. Shaw will presumably compete with Brian Hoyer, David Fales, and Matt Blanchard to back up Jay Cutler.

Browns Waive QB Connor Shaw

June 30th, 2016 at 1:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns have waived quarterback Connor Shaw, as Shaw himself indicated by thanking the organization for his time in Cleveland via Twitter. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal has since confirmed the move (Twitter link). Because he’s not a vested veteran, Shaw will have to pass through waivers — if he’s not claimed by another club, he’ll become a free agent.Connor Shaw (Vertical)

[RELATED: Updated Cleveland Browns depth chart]

Shaw, who will be 25 years old during the upcoming season, has just one career NFL appearance to his name. He started the final game of the 2014 season for the Browns, completing 14-of-28 pass attempts for 177 yards and one touchdown in a loss to the division rival Ravens. Expected to compete for Cleveland’s No. 3 quarterback job in 2015, Shaw suffered a thumb injury prior to the regular season, and was placed on injured reserve.

The Browns coaching staff and front office have given lip service to an all-out quarterback competition taking place in advance of the regular season, but it still seems overwhelmingly likely that free agent signee Robert Griffin III will take the first snap in Week 1. Veteran Josh McCown is still on the roster, though he’s been the subject of trade speculation, while Cleveland also has Austin Davis and third-round rookie Cody Kessler under contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Cut Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, Put Shaw On IR

September 1st, 2015 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Browns have announced several more roster moves today, but perhaps the most notable transaction of the bunch has yet to be confirmed by the team. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (via Twitter), the club has waived defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen.

Kitchen, who turns 27 next month, earned 279 defensive snaps for the Browns in 2014, making 27 tackles. While his play in the middle was unspectacular, the Kent State product was solid enough in his three years in Cleveland that the team felt comfortable tendering him a one-year contract offer worth $1.542MM when he hit restricted free agency. However, that contract was non-guaranteed.

Here are the rest of the Browns roster moves, which the team officially announced in a press release:

Placed on injured reserve:

  • OL Michael Bowie
  • QB Connor Shaw

Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:

  • DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
  • TE Randall Telfer
  • RB Glenn Winston

The players who landed on IR won’t return for the Browns this year, while the NFI players will be eligible to practice and play starting after Week 6. The club’s announcement indicates that the roster is now down to 79 players, though that number will dip to 78 when Kitchen’s release becomes official. After that, Cleveland will have to make three more moves to get down to the 75-man roster limit.

North Notes: Bears, Forte, Brown, Steelers

August 17th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Browns announced that backup center Ryan Seymour has been suspended for four games without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances. In a statement, Seymour said that he did not “knowingly” take a banned substance and added that he will be “much more careful in the future,” Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweets. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC North..

  • Bears running back Matt Forte has come to the realization that this season might be his last in a Bears uniform, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. “All I can do is talk to them about it and they can say yes or no. They said we’re not talking about that type of stuff right now, so all I can do is play football. I’ve come to the realization that every run or catch that I may have might be my last in a Bears uniform, so if they don’t want to re-sign me, I’ll have to play somewhere else,” Forte said.
  • Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown‘s desire for an extension is “fueled by” the deals given to Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and T.Y. Hilton, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears. The Steelers are listening to Brown’s requests, but if they rework his deal, they want to wind up with a contract that will put him under club control for the remainder of his career.
  • Browns GM Ray Farmer told Grossi (Twitter link) that quarterback Connor Shaw underwent surgery on Monday morning. He adds that Shaw suffered ligament damage and not a broken thumb as some believed earlier.
  • Harland Gunn and Dionte Savage were among the offensive lineman that worked out for the Lions last week, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

Connor Shaw Likely To Miss 2015 Season

August 16th, 2015 at 3:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Browns third-string quarterback Connor Shaw suffered a thumb injury during Thursday’s preseason game against Washington and will require surgery, the club announced. Cleveland’s press release notes that Shaw is expected to miss “an extended period of time,” and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link) that Shaw’s recovery times is set at three months.

“I feel for Connor because he has worked extremely hard,” said head coach Mike Pettine. “He’s a competitor and has had a great offseason and a good camp so far. He is good for the quarterback room and it’s unfortunate that this injury won’t allow him to compete.”

Shaw, 23, started the final game of the 2014 season for the Browns, completing 14-of-28 attempts for 177 yards and one interception in a 20-10 loss to the Ravens. The South Carolina alum’s three-month recovery timetable means that he could return during the season, but Cleveland is unlikely to carry an injured third quarterback for that length of time. Additionally, the club probably doesn’t want to waste its injured reserve/designated to return slot on a reserve QB, so Shaw is likely to be placed on season-ending IR.

Shaw’s injury could open the door for Thad Lewis to make the Browns final roster as the third quarterback, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com, though if Cleveland opts to simply carry a reserve QB on its practice squad, Lewis would be out of luck, as he’s exhausted his practice squad eligibility. Furthermore, don’t expect former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who’s converted to receiver, to attempt a switch back to QB, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.

AFC Notes: Incognito, Berry, Steelers, Browns

August 9th, 2015 at 7:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and league-appointed investigator Ted Wells are drawing plenty of criticism for how they’re handling Tom Brady‘s DeflateGate case, but Bills guard Richie Incognito tore into them Saturday for how they dealt with his own scandal a couple years ago.

The league suspended Incognito from November 2013 to February 2014 after a bullying case involving then-Dolphins teammate Jonathan Martin. Incognito, who subsequently sat out all of last season and then signed with Buffalo this past winter, told Newsday’s Bob Glauber: “Ted Wells came in slanted against me and everything in his report was slanted against me. There were some things in there that would have helped my cause that were left out.”

Incognito noted there was “teammate testimony” that would’ve helped his cause, but Wells didn’t pay it any mind. Further, Albert Breer of NFL Network tweeted that “a lot of Dolphins coaches felt their voiced weren’t heard by Wells.”

Regarding Goodell, Incognito said, “I just think it’s bogus, the whole system in how it’s set up with Roger and the complete, absolute power he has.”

“You have to get a little power out of [Goodell’s] hands and get [an independent arbitrator] to take a look at it.”

More from the AFC:

  • Sunday represented a significant step in the return of Chiefs safety Eric Berry. The three-time Pro Bowler practiced in full pads with the second-team defense just eight months removed from a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and three months since his final chemotherapy treatment, writes Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Berry’s teammates are excited about his progress. “It’s motivation, courage — for the whole team,” said linebacker Derrick Johnson. “This means a lot to us.”
  • This could be a make-or-break year for Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones, an anonymous general manager told Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN (Twitter link). The former Georgia star has a paltry three sacks in two years since the Steelers used a first-round pick on him in 2013.
  • The race to be the Browns’ third quarterback behind Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel is currently a dead heat between Connor Shaw and Thaddeus Lewis.  “I wouldn’t list one of those guys [Shaw or Lewis] ahead of the other,” head coach Mike Pettine said Sunday, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “Obviously, Josh is firmly the one, as I’ve said. Johnny is the two, and I would slash those guys [Shaw and Lewis] at the three.”

Minor Moves: Saturday

December 27th, 2014 at 5:41pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here, with the most recent transactions added to the top of the list…

Earlier updates:

  • The Jets have placed safety Rontez Miles on the injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson. The team will promote wideout Quincy Enunwa to take his place.
  • Connor Shaw will start at quarterback for the Browns this weekend, and the team promoted him to the active roster this morning, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The team also promoted rookie offensive lineman Jamie Meder. To make room on the roster, the Browns waived linebacker Eric Martin and tight end Ryan Taylor.
  • The Lions have promoted center Darren Keyton to the active roster, reports Tim Twentyman (via Twitter). The lineman will replace Dominic Raiola, who was suspended for this weekend’s game.
  • As expected, the Chargers finally placed punter Mike Scifres on the injured reserve, according to U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken (via Twitter). Center Jeff Baca was promoted from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.

Browns To Promote Connor Shaw

December 26th, 2014 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Quarterback Connor Shaw has agreed to terms on a deal with the Browns, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). He will be promoted from the practice squad in time to start on Sunday.

With so much talk surrounding the battle between Brian Hoyer and rookie Johnny Manziel for the starting job, few would have predicted that Shaw would wind up as the Week 17 starter. However, Hoyer’s shoulder injury and Manziel’s hamstring pull have left the Browns with little choice. Tyler Thigpen, signed earlier this week, will serve as Cleveland’s No. 2 quarterback. The Browns initially hoped to sign Rex Grossman instead of Thigpen, but they were rebuffed as the strong-armed QB opted to spend the holidays with his family instead. I would speculate that Grossman would have been used as the starter in the season finale had he agreed to join the Browns for their final game of 2014.

A corresponding move has yet to be announced, but the Browns could free up a spot on the 53-man roster by placing Manziel on IR.

Browns Place Johnny Manziel On IR

December 24th, 2014 at 10:38am CST by Rob DiRe

WEDNESDAY, 10:38am: The Browns have officially placed Manziel on IR, along with defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, the team announced today (via Twitter). The two moves accommodate the previously reported roster additions of long snapper Charley Hughlett and defensive lineman John Hughes.

MONDAY, 3:56pm: Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel will not be available for the last game of the season against the Ravens, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (via Twitter). Manziel injured his hamstring in last week’s loss to the Panthers, and the injury would have reportedly forced him to miss a few weeks had this not been the last game of the year.

The team’s other quarterback option with experience is Brian Hoyer, who started for most of the season before being benched for Manziel. His status for Sunday’s game is uncertain due to a shoulder injury as well, which could leave the Browns without their two top quarterbacks.

The next option is undrafted rookie Connor Shaw, who the team signed after the draft this season. The former University of South Carolina quarterback is expected to get the lion’s share of the reps with the first team in practice this week in anticipation of the matchup with Baltimore (via Twitter).

According to Grossi, the team is also considering bringing in a quarterback from outside the organization, to serve as a backup under the circumstance where Hoyer cannot dress for the game. Grossi expects that the team will bring Rex Grossman in as an emergency option for Week 17 (via Twitter).

Grossman played under Kyle Shanahan for years, first with the Texans as a backup and also during their time together in Washington. Grossman was also with the team for a few weeks this August, and should have some comfort level, if not familiarity, with the offense.

Browns coach Mike Pettine was asked about the prospect of bringing in Grossman, and was noncommittal but noted that the team was exploring their options, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter). Pettine said he would get together with general manager Ray Farmer and they would look into how to proceed.

Extra Points: Grossman, Hoyer, Philbin

December 22nd, 2014 at 10:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns could use some depth at quarterback with injuries to Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer and they called on Rex Grossman to serve as a backup. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Sexy Rexy isn’t interested, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Grossman is hosting his whole family for the holidays and he says he would rather spent Christmas with them than with the 7-8 Browns. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • It sounds like Hoyer could be healthy enough to serve as an emergency backup for the Browns in their season finale, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Meanwhile, signal caller Connor Shaw could be promoted from the practice squad for additional depth.
  • Dolphins owner Stephen Ross kept coach Joe Philbin because he likes him as a person and he refused to hire a GM who wanted him gone, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter).
  • With the Saints now eliminated from playoff contention and headed for a top 15 draft pick, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap looks at what they can do next season. Much of the Saints savings, he explains, will probably come through contract restructuring with veterans.
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