Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron turned some heads during the team’s offseason practices. NFL Media’s Albert Breer is reporting that the coaching staff in Cincinnati thinks McCarron is “fully capable of becoming a starting-quality player.”
This news follows earlier comments made by Bengals defensive end Wallace Gilberry, who boasted that McCarron was “doing awesome” and improving on his throwing motion.
To top off these observations, Breer also reported that McCarron was showing off “top-notch pocket presence.” While this news sounds promising for McCarron, it is unlikely that he will threaten Andy Dalton for the starting job.
However, the praise McCarron is receiving should be incentive for Dalton to work even harder to ensure that he retains his starting job for the foreseeable future. Dalton is in what is essentially a year-to-year deal worth $96 million that takes him through the 2020 season.
Since Dalton has been under center for the past four years, he has helped lead the Bengals to the playoffs each season. Unfortunately, the Bengals lost each and every one of those four playoff games.
Should Dalton continue to occasionally struggle, it would not be surprising to see McCarron out on the field every now and then to provide some relief. Though, McCarron’s standout performance this offseason might have more to do about the Bengals’ future at quarterback than what is going to happen in 2015.
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