Chicago Bears waive Connor Shaw

In a correlating move to sign wide receiver Victor Cruz, the Chicago Bears waived quarterback Connor Shaw.

Connor Shaw we hardly knew ye. The Bears signed Shaw in 2016. However, he did not throw an NFL pass for them, nor was he active for a single game. In fact, he only threw 16 preseason passes.

When Jay Cutler got hurt in 2016, Shaw had already suffered a season ending leg injury in the preseason. He missed his chance to prove himself, and when the Bears went out and acquired three quarterbacks this offseason, the writing was likely on the wall that Shaw would be on his way out.

While it would have been an uphill battle to make the roster, the timing of the move is still a bit questionable. The Bears now will only be bringing three quarterbacks into training camp. While Mitchell Trubisky, Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez all know their role and had a secure hold of their status on the depth chart, all three are very volatile in that role.

Next: Quarterback depth chart projections

There are two reasons as to why the Bears would make this move now. One goes back to his leg injury. While he had been cleared, and was not waived with a failed physical the Bears may not have been happy about the long term ramifications of his injury.

The other is that the Bears may not have been comfortable with his comprehension of the playbook. Shaw has been at OTA’s the past few days, and while he was not able to play on the field, he may not have taken a step forward in the video room either. With a full year of understanding and following the playbook if the Bears felt that any emergency player that they sign from here out will have just as good of an understanding than the decision becomes easy. We will never know for sure, but be on the look out for the Bears to find one more camp body by training camp.