Bengals sign 3rd QB: Is McCarron on the move?
By Brian Dugan
The Cincinnati Bengals made some moves that left a few people scratching their heads. Does bringing in a third quarterback mean McCarron’s time may be limited in Cincinnati?
Things in Cincinnati have certainly gotten interesting in the past day or so. The Bengals move closer to the regular season at the New York Jets, Sunday at 1pm. They, like every other NFL team, cut their roster to the league maximum 53 players and signed 10 practice squad players.
Not too many surprises as the Bengals trimmed down, except when it really got close to the 4pm Saturday deadline. Bengaldom read it simultaneously as the team waived 2nd-year linebacker, and 3rd round pick PJ Dawson of TCU, and signed rookie free agent quarterback Jeff Driskel, who was recently waived by the San Francisco 49ers.
Wait, what? Why in the world would the Bengals waive a guy like Dawson for an unknown? This move is so un-Mike Brown like, and makes me wonder if something else is coming. Yes, the Bengals will get all pro linebacker Vontaze Burfict back from suspension by Week 4, but a guy like Dawson could certainly be used until then. So what else could be happening, why carry three quarterbacks?
Teddy Bridgewater, of the Minnesota Vikings, had a horrific non-contact practice fluke injury. NFL teams watched the Philadelphia Eagles deal quarterback Sam Bradford. The price was hefty for the Vikings, a 1st round pick and a conditional 4th round pick in 2017. Whoa!
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This, no doubt, caught the eye of Duke Tobin and the Bengals front office. The Eagles got a first and fourth rounder for Bradford. Just imagine what the Bengals could get for McCarron. If P.J. Dawson was already the odd man out, then why not pick up a little insurance with a quarterback? McCarron was a 5th round pick in the 2104 draft. They could possibly turn that around into a first round pick and another high round pick. It just makes good business sense.
Let’s take a look at what makes sense. Does carrying three quarterbacks make sense? No, not particularly. Considering prior to Dalton’s somewhat fluky thumb injury, number 14 started every game for the Bengals since 2011. Is carrying a backup quarterback, who could start right now in the NFL and not listen to possible offers, make sense either? No, not really.
Does this mean A.J. McCarron will be traded today, or tomorrow, or by the weekend? Probably not. However, the Bengals should get similar to what Philadelphia got from Minnesota, if not better. The Bengals don’t just make moves to make them. They make moves to better their football team, and right now, three quarterbacks do not better this team.