Connor Shaw glad to be reunited with Alshon Jeffery on Bears
Connor Shaw will see some familiar faces when he reports to Chicago Bears training camp next week, including his old college teammate Alshon Jeffery.
Shaw and Jeffery were on the South Carolina roster in 2010-11, and Shaw was the starting quarterback in Jeffery’s final season with the Gamecocks in 2011. Now, the two are looking forward to reuniting in the NFL with the Bears.
“It’s going to be nice. I miss those days, so it is going to be fun in training camp to be tossing to him,” Shaw said Friday at the football camp he hosted at River Bluff High School.
Shaw and Jeffery have been in touch via text the last few weeks. Jeffery, who is in fifth season with Chicago, sent out a tweet congratulating Shaw when he signed with the club earlier this month.
“Welcome to the family @cmshaw9 just like old times.... #Gamecocks #DaBears,” Jeffery tweeted.
The 24-year-old Shaw leaves Tuesday for training camp, which gets under way Thursday at Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Shaw spent the past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns before the team released him June 30. He made one start for Cleveland in the 2014 season finale against Baltimore and completed 14-of-28 passes for 177 yards.
Shaw missed all of last season after suffering a thumb injury in the preseason opener against Washington. In the offseason, the Browns made a coaching change and Shaw became expendable after the team signed Robert Griffin III and drafted Cody Kessler.
The Bears were not the only team interested in signing the former USC signal caller. According to Fox Sports, the New Orleans Saints sent out an e-mail with their intention of adding Shaw on the waiver wire. But the e-mail was sent out to all 31 teams instead of just to the NFL.
Chicago, which was two spots ahead of New Orleans on the waiver wire, ended up signing Shaw. Bears’ offensive coordinator Dewell Loggins was familiar with Shaw and was his quarterback coach in 2014 with the Browns.
“It felt good to know I was wanted again,” Shaw said. “When there is a complete coaching change, the odds to sticking around are slim. I’m blessed to have another opportunity to go play somewhere else. It is meant to be when something like that happens. Chicago is the place for me to be right now.”
Shaw said having worked with Loggins in Cleveland will make the transition with his new team easier because he is familiar with the offensive scheme. He is one of three quarterbacks competing to be the backup behind starter Jay Cutler. Brian Hoyer and David Fales the other two. Hoyer and Shaw were teammates in Cleveland.
“It won’t be a totally new learning curve for me,” Shaw said. “I have two years of experience under my belt learning from guys like Josh McCown and Hoyer. You learn something new every day in the NFL. I have come a long way since my rookie year. I am eager to get started again.”
This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 1:06 PM.