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The Cleveland Browns Should Trade For A.J. McCarron

By Sam Beckenstein

Sep 29, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (5) against the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 22-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (5) against the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 22-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cincinnati Bengals are not known to be involved in many trades, however, this upcoming season could be an exception with backup quarterback, A.J. McCarron‘s contract set to expire following the 2017-18 season. McCarron showed signs of being a capable NFL quarterback last season in relief of Andy Dalton after a thumb injury.

In seven games last season, four of which he started and one where he saw most of the snaps, he completed 66.4% of his passes for 854 yards, threw six touchdowns, and only two interceptions. He compiled a 2-3 record and had the Bengals in a position to win their playoff game, but Jeremy Hill’s late fumble, and Vontaze Burfict and Pacman Jones’ penalties doomed them.

With McCarron proving himself capable starter, and having shown success at both the pro level and at Alabama winning two straight national titles, he is worth a look for a year to see if he is their future starter, kind of like what they’re doing with Jamie Collins. Cleveland has the ammo to go get him, and that is exactly what they should do in the offseason.

McCarron’s a proven winner with an absurd 36-4 record in college with two national titles, and an SEC championship under his belt, and his success in Cincy should inspire Sashi Brown and company to make a play. RG3’s health in the long term is an unknown, Cody Kessler has played okay but has been uninspiring lately, and Josh McCown is definitely not the long term answer either.

Despite an ugly game on both sides, McCarron showed he can have success in the playoffs, and get the ball to his playmakers which is what Cleveland needs. They need a game managing type of quarterback who can get the ball to Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman, and not make mistakes. McCarron’s not one to make mistakes as his 77 touchdowns and 15 interceptions  in college shows, not to mention his 3:1 ratio in the NFL.

The Bengals (4-7-1) may find it hard to pass up a package with a player and, or, a draft pick for the backup instead of just letting him walk in free agency next Spring with no gain. The Browns have nothing to lose by grabbing top defensive talent in this draft instead of a QB and trying to trade for McCarron.

Don’t expect the Browns to be in the playoff mix until 2019 at the earliest, and trading for McCarron gives them ample time to find another quarterback if it ends up being a swing and a  miss. This is a win-win for both teams unless the Bengals decide to keep McCarron over Andy Dalton in the long run.

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