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Ben Bibby, ESPN staff writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Cincinnati Bengals have promoted veteran quarterback AJ McCarron to bolster depth in the wake of Joe Burrow’s season-ending injury.
McCarron has been signed to the 53-man roster of the practice squad, the team announced prior to Monday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. McCarron will remain the starting backup behind Jake Browning, who will make his second career start.
McCarron was signed to the practice squad after Burrow re-injured his right calf in a Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He remained the team’s No. 3 quarterback until Burrow tore a ligament in his right wrist against Baltimore in Week 11. McCarron served as a temporary reliever for the team’s Week 12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The spot on the 53-man roster was vacated by cornerback Cam Taylor Britt, who was placed on injured reserve Monday. The move came after the sophomore player from Nebraska sprained his ankle during practice on Friday. Taylor Britt, who led the team with four interceptions, will miss at least four games.
This is McCarron’s second stint with the Bengals. In 2014, the Bengals drafted McCarron in the fourth round. He was with the team until 2017 as a reserve behind Andy Dalton. When Dalton suffered a season-ending thumb injury in 2015, McCarron stepped in and started three games for a Bengals team that won the AFC North and was eliminated in the Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
McCarron appeared in 17 NFL games from 2014 to 2020. In 2023, he appeared in nine games for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. McCarron completed 68.8% of his passes for 24 touchdowns and six interceptions with St. Louis.
