North Carolina product and former UNC Tar Heels standout Travis Shaw is looking for his next NFL opportunity after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived the defensive tackle on Saturday as part of final roster cuts.
The 6-foot-5, 334-pound interior lineman lasted just over a month in Tampa. The Bucs signed him July 29 after New England waived the undrafted rookie, then cut him Aug. 29 while trimming to the 53-man roster. Shaw never appeared in a preseason game for Tampa Bay.
For Tar Heel fans, the news lands with familiar disappointment and a measure of pride. Shaw was once one of the program’s brightest recruiting prizes.
The Grimsley High star ranked among the nation’s top defensive tackles and the No. 1 prospect in North Carolina when he committed to Mack Brown’s Tar Heels in 2021. He chose Chapel Hill over Clemson and other power programs, becoming a centerpiece of a highly ranked 2022 class.
Shaw played three seasons at UNC from 2022 to 2024, appearing in 37 games. He finished his Tar Heel career with 55 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
His most productive year came as a junior in 2024, when he posted a career-high 26 tackles and four tackles for loss while seeing increased snaps on the defensive line.
After Brown’s departure and the arrival of Bill Belichick, Shaw entered the transfer portal and spent his final college season at Texas. He played 13 games for the Longhorns in 2025, adding 13 tackles. Across four years he totaled 68 tackles and two fumble recoveries in 50 games.
Going undrafted in 2026 was a setback for a player once viewed as a high-upside space-eater. New England gave him a three-year undrafted free-agent deal in May, then released him before camp.
Tampa Bay offered a one-year, $885,000 contract and a chance to compete for depth behind Vita Vea. That chance ended with the league’s cut deadline.
Shaw’s path is common for big-bodied interior linemen who need time to develop. At 22, he still has the size and pedigree that originally made him a five-star recruit.
Tar Heel supporters who watched him grow from a highly touted freshman into a rotational contributor in Chapel Hill will hope another team claims him off waivers or signs him to a practice squad.
For now, the former UNC defensive tackle is a free agent again.
The kid from Greensboro who once wore Carolina blue is still chasing a lasting NFL roster spot—one more chapter in a career that began with sky-high expectations in Chapel Hill.
