Oh no, the horror that is signing former Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron might actually become a reality for the Cleveland Browns. Say it ain’t so, John Dorsey!
That’s the opinion of most Browns fans after news of McCarron winning his grievance case against the Cincinnati Bengals to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season made its way around the NFL. And while the general consensus in Northeast Ohio is to run away from the former Alabama signal-caller as fast as you can, here’s why a potential signing of McCarron is not the end of the world for Cleveland fans.
For starters, let’s get the elephant out of the room: Is A.J. McCarron better than DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler, and Kevin Hogan? The answer to that question is absolutely, without a doubt. Following up on that thought, this author will also throw in the fact that McCarron has played in more playoff games than all three of those quarterbacks combined.
So here it is, the case for A.J. McCarron to be a part of the Browns quarterback room next season.
When Cincinnati ran into a problem with Andy Dalton going down with an injury in 2015, McCarron answered the call. The then-second-year pro went 2-1 as a starter when Dalton went down for the remainder of the season, completing 66.4% of his passes for six touchdowns and only two interceptions. Heck, McCarron was one defensive implosion away from knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Game in 2015. McCarron went 23-of-41 passing for 212 passing yards in the contest, throwing for one touchdown and one interception. He certainly put Cincinnati in a position to advance before the Bengals ultimately fell 18-16 off of a Chris Boswell walk-off field goal.
For a brief moment of time, there was a lot of speculation of how long Dalton’s job would be safe before McCarron would wrestle it away from him. McCarron wouldn’t start another game for the Bengals and has sat behind Dalton for the last two seasons waiting for his opportunity to play. That time could be coming very soon.
The Browns have a lot of interest in McCarron and if you weren’t sure of that before last season, their blunder at the NFL Trade Deadline in an attempt to land McCarron will highlight the intrigue that Hue Jackson and company have for him. Cleveland attempted to give up a second-round and third-round pick and had the deal all ready to finalize before failing to fill out the paperwork necessary for the trade to go through. This time around, no draft picks are needed to acquire McCarron. Instead, the team will just need to find his price on the market and pursue the option if it is ideal.
To those that feel a McCarron signing spells doom for next season and beyond are simply being overdramatic. Fans have panicked about the thought of him starting and it makes no sense to have uninformed panic. If the Browns were to sign McCarron, that would not necessarily mean he would be the starter.
The top two free agents at the quarterback position this off-season are Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins. Brees is not leaving New Orleans, for those seriously wondering. But for the sake of this hypothetical situation, he is technically an unrestricted free agent and can sign wherever he wants. Cousins, on the other hand, will be searching for another team after the Washington Redskins gave him a very unsubtle hint that they want him out of town after trading for Alex Smith.
If Cleveland were to sign one of the two quarterbacks, they would be set for this season and wouldn’t need to draft a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft. If they landed Cousins, they would be set for a longer stretch of time than they would be if they were to sign Brees. But with a Brees signing super unrealistic and Cousins more so setting his eyes set on Denver and New York it appears, the Browns have to be prepared to properly fill their quarterback room with the cards they are dealt.
That’s why McCarron being signed to a three-year deal would be fine for Cleveland to set out for in the event they don’t land Cousins. The Browns can draft one of the top quarterbacks in the draft and can leave him on the sideline to watch and grow behind McCarron and the coaching staff. There’s no chance that the rookie would touch the field in a live game with McCarron, DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler, and Kevin Hogan all still on the roster. Of course, there will not be four guys in front of him come the beginning of the regular season but the thought is that there should be no reason for Hue Jackson to even know he has a rookie quarterback to work onto the field.
McCarron is currently twenty-seven years old and could realistically still turn into a solid starter for an NFL team. If the Browns were to somehow luck into that, it would be looked at as one of the bigger steals they’ve had in free agency or the draft. McCarron is going to cost way less than anyone else out on the market and has already played in a playoff game, something nobody in the current quarterback room is able to say. It makes a lot of sense the more you think about it.
Don’t be worried, Browns fans. An A.J. McCarron signing is the least troubling thing that could happen this off-season. It’s a deal that makes sense given the circumstances and provides potential upside.
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