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A.J. McCarron is back in the NFL.
The former Alabama great was last in the league in 2021 as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. On Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals announced that they had signed him to their practice squad.
This is McCarron’s 2nd stint with the Bengals, who took him in the 5th round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He spent 4 seasons with the franchise before stops in Buffalo, Oakland, Houston, and Atlanta.
In 2022, he signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL, where he led the league in passing touchdowns and completion percentage.
The move is notable since Joe Burrow has been battling a calf strain that he suffered in the summer. The Bengals have just 1 other QB on the active roster: Jake Browning.
Burrow’s status is still up in the air for Cincinnati’s “Monday Night Football” game against the Los Angeles Rams. If he is unavailable and Browning is called into action, it appears McCarron will be activated as Browning’s backup.
We have signed QB AJ McCarron to the practice squad.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 23, 2023
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
