Making their first offseason cut, the Bengals are getting ready for 2024 and the return of quarterback Joe Burrow.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Cincinnati is cutting backup quarterback A.J. McCarron, who was brought in for depth after quarterback Jake Burrow had a wrist injury that ended his season in Week 11.
Giving up on McCarron makes sense given the rise of Jake Browning as a quarterback this season. During the final two months of the season, the 27-year-old quarterback had the Bengals vying for a postseason berth while throwing for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Browning also made history by becoming the only quarterback to have 1,000+ passing yards and complete more than 75% of his passes in his first four starts since the NFL started keeping track of quarterback starts in 1950.
Browning was playing on a one-year contract, so Cincinnati will need to resign him this summer if it wants him to return to backup Burrow in 2024. However, McCarron’s release indicates the team’s belief that it will occur.
Regarding McCarron, he intends to play somewhere after making appearances with the Bills (2018), Raiders (2018), Texans (2019–2), and Falcons (2021). Nevertheless, after throwing for just 19 yards on five tries this season in relief of Browning, he doesn’t have a very compelling argument.
After dominating the XFL in touchdowns, completion %, and quarterback rating in 2023, the 33-year-old found his way back to the NFL. It appears that he will need to follow a similar route to rejoin the NFL the following season.
For the 2024 XFL season, McCarron is anticipated to re-sign with the St. Louis Battlehawks. If he puts up another outstanding performance, the Bengals or another team might give him another opportunity to play in the league.
However, Cincinnati’s only goal at the moment is expanding its roster, with a healthy Burrow making his way back to the fold in order to challenge for another Super Bowl in 2024.
