Trading AJ McCarron Is The Right Move For Bengals
All The Rest
Arizona Cardinals (7-8-1): How much time does Carson Palmer have left? He just turned 37 years old in December and his backup, Drew Stanton, isn’t much younger (32). Arizona also has 18 unrestricted free agents set to hit the market. Hello, cap room.
Washington Redskins (8-7-1): First off, Washington would be crazy to let Kirk Cousins go. Finding a capable NFL quarterback is rare, and one would think the Redskins, after going through RGIII, Colt McCoy, John Beck, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, and Mark Brunell since their last playoff win, would understand that.
Denver Broncos (9-7): Unlikely landing spot for McCarron since John Elway spent a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch in 2016. If a free agent goes to Mile High, it’s likely someone with more experience.
Houston Texans (9-7): Brock Osweiler is still guaranteed $16 million in 2017, so he’s staying on the roster. Tom Savage was unable to take advantage of Brock’s benching. Despite beating the Bengals with a sub-par outing, he was hurt in the regular-season finale. Osweiler is back for the playoffs. I guess the Texans will wait and see if Osweiler can turn it on in the postseason.
Who’s Left?
If McCarron is traded, it leaves Jeff Driskel as the new second-stringer. Driskel played four seasons at the University of Florida before transferring and playing one year at Louisiana Tech University. Driskel was drafted in the sixth round by the 49ers. He went 15 for 31 with 132 passing yards, 103 rushing yards, 2 TD, and 2 INT in the preseason before being released.
Next: What Adam Jones' Arrest Means
The Bengals claimed him off waivers on September 4th, one day after releasing Coldwater, OH-native Keith Wenning. The fact that Driskel kept a spot on the 53-man roster all season so no quarterback-hungry team could snag him is another sign Cincinnati plans on cutting ties with McCarron.
As they should.