Tag: AJ McCarron

Highlights from AJ McCarron’s big day for the St. Louis Battlehawks

The former Alabama QB put on a show!

The St. Louis Battlehawks, led by former Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback [autotag]AJ McCarron[/autotag] earned their fifth straight victory on Saturday thanks to the strong play of McCarron taking down the Houston Roughnecks 22-8.

After getting off to a bit of a slow start against the Roughnecks, McCarron found his rythmn on his way to going 24-of-37 on his pass attempts for 255 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

With the victory, McCarron and the Battlehawks move to 5-1 on the season in the UFL.

Following the impressive performance, the X account (formerly Twitter) of the Battlehawks released McCarron’s highlights.

Take a look!

McCarron will have a homecoming of sorts next weekend when the Battlehawks travel to Birmingham to take on the undefeated Stallions at 3 p.m. CT on FOX.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Former Bengals QB AJ McCarron joins Battlehawks

AJ McCarron’s shift to the UFL is complete.

Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron has officially landed in the UFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks.

Those Battlehawks made the move official over the weekend ahead of training camp beginning.

The Bengals granted McCarron an early release from their roster last week at his request so that he could pursue the UFL again. Before joining the Bengals last season as depth, he had won an MVP award during a stunning resurgence with the Battlehawks.

From a Bengals perspective, McCarron wasn’t a part of the long-term plans, something further reinforced by Jake Browning’s massive breakout in place of Joe Burrow.

Now, McCarron gets to pursue being a starter again.

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Bengals grant AJ McCarron release for QB’s Battlehawks return

AJ McCarron leaves the Bengals to head back to the UFL.

The Cincinnati Bengals granted quarterback AJ McCarron his release on Wednesday.

McCarron, who joined the team via the practice squad last September and was promoted to the active roster in December, plans to return to the UFL.

According to James Larsen of Pro Football Newsroom, McCarron intends to re-sign with the St. Louis Battlehawks, the team he won an MVP with last season.

McCarron was insurance for the Bengals after Joe Burrow’s injury in the fall, but never got a crack at playing time after the emergence of Jake Browning during the late-season push.

As of this writing, there are two quarterbacks on the roster right now.

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Cincinnati Bengals release former Alabama QB AJ McCarron

AJ McCarron set to be a free agent after Bengals release him

The Cincinnati Bengals have officially released former Alabama QB [autotag]AJ McCarron[/autotag] in conclusion of the 2023 season. It was McCarron’s second stint with the team after being drafted by the organization in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Bengals starting QB [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] was sidelined for the year after suffering a ligament injury in his right wrist against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. McCarron was initially signed to the practice squad on Sept. 23, 2023 as a backup and officially activated to the active roster on Dec. 4 to provide some depth at the QB position. In two appearances this year, he completed four of five passes for 19 yards.

So heading into the 2024 season, which will be McCarron’s 10th in the league, he will be finding a new home. McCarron is a guy who just loves football and wants to play, regardless of the league. He has also spent time with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL.

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Bengals QB Jake Browning suffers injury, replaced by AJ McCarron

Bengals QB Jake Browning left the game with an injury.

It seems the Cincinnati Bengals just can’t catch a break when it comes to quarterback injuries.

Late in the Week 14 game against the Indianapolis Colts, backup quarterback Jake Browning left the game with a thumb injury and immediately went to the locker room.

Third-stringer AJ McCarron then entered the game with a 28-14 lead and would be the full-blown starter in future weeks if Browning needs to miss time.

Browning, fresh off the Week 13 outburst on a Monday night in place of Joe Burrow, had thrown two touchdowns and rushed for another, with his lone interception a pick-six, before exiting the game.

Update: The Bengals say Browning suffered cramps in his throwing hand and eventually returned:

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Bengals send Cam Taylor-Britt to IR, sign QB AJ McCarron off practice squad

Big roster moves for the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt heads to injured reserve before his team’s Monday night game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Bengals announced the move on Monday and also signed quarterback AJ McCarron to the active roster to fill the empty spot.

Taylor-Britt had already been declared out for the game due to an ankle injury suffered in practice. He’d already been trying to fight through a quad injury and won’t be eligible to come off IR until Week 17.

With CTB down, veteran Chidobe Awuzie will start across from rookie DJ Turner.

McCarron is now the permanent main-roster depth behind starter Jake Browning after spending time on the practice squad since his arrival.

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Bengals fans are loving the return of AJ McCarron

Bengals fans are happy to see AJ McCarron back in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals fans tend to have a soft spot for quarterback AJ McCarron.

While he was only in town for a handful of seasons, McCarron was memorable for sparking debates amongst the fanbase while serving as the backup behind Andy Dalton.

McCarron also had that close call in the playoffs that nearly ended the postseason drought.

While it should go without saying that Bengals fans aren’t thrilled that this all came about because of the lingering Joe Burrow injury with the team at 0-2, they are plenty happy to see McCarron back in the city.

Here are some of the top reactions to the news.

Bengals sign AJ McCarron to practice squad as Joe Burrow insurance

A familiar face returns.

The Cincinnati Bengals have made it official with AJ McCarron.

Not long after it was revealed McCarron was in town for a workout before the Bengals host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed the move.

The Bengals also hosted Trace McSorley on a workout.

McCarron joined the Bengals in 2015 via the fifth round and spent three seasons with the team, including that near-miss in the playoffs while backing up Andy Dalton.

The Bengals brought back Reid Sinnett after losing Will Grier. Presumably, Jake Browning will still be Joe Burrow’s primary backup for at least Monday, given his experience in the system.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Burrow will be questionable for Monday night’s game.

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Bengals host QB AJ McCarron for workout

The Bengals bring in an old friend for a look with Joe Burrow injured.

With Joe Burrow a question mark due to the calf injury, the Cincinnati Bengals have started to run through insurance policy options.

One of those is hosting AJ McCarron on a workout, as revealed on Saturday before the Bengals host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

McCarron, of course, was a fifth-round pick by the Bengals in 2014 and remained in town through 2017 before more recently going on to have a breakout showing in the XFL.

The day before the workout, the Bengals brought back Reid Sinnett after the Patriots swiped Will Grier from their practice squad. If the Bengals add McCarron after the workout, he’ll join Jake Browing and Sinnett as depth options.

As of this writing, the Bengals hadn’t declared Burrow’s status for Monday in either direction, though an outside doctor during a media appearance has said this calf injury is something that could linger all season.

Update: The Bengals signed McCarron to the practice squad after the workout.

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3 veteran QBs Patriots could sign as No. 2 option behind Mac Jones

Here are three veteran quarterbacks that could serve as the new No. 2 option behind Mac Jones.

Bailey Zappe’s initial release had many shocked that the second-year player might have played his last snap in New England.

However, the Patriots signed Zappe back to the practice squad after he cleared waivers, but there was an initial report that stated the Patriots were still looking for a veteran backup for Mac Jones.

Do the Patriots really dislike Zappe? I get the sense that they still like him in the building, however, he was viewed as a “Matt Patricia guy” and a selection to fulfill the Kyle Shanahan-style offense that was a failure last season with first-time offensive coordinators trying to implement it.

Pierre Strong Jr. was another one of those picks that was supposed to thrive in that outside zone scheme, but he was recently traded to the Cleveland Browns for offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. It is possible the Patriots could be trying to right the ship internally with those picks from 2022, which are no longer deemed scheme fits in Zappe, Strong, and yes, Tyquan Thornton, too.

The Patriots still believe Cole Strange is a fit in the new offense and can adapt, even if he is more suited for the agile offensive line system Kyle Shanahan and many west coast offenses deploy.

There is still some belief that Zappe can develop the parts of his game to be a capable backup in the system, but the Patriots likely want to find a veteran quarterback who can step in now behind Jones to mentor him and jump in if needed due to injury.

After what we saw all summer, Zappe is not capable of doing that right now and would benefit from developmental reps. Zappe’s game, in its current state, is more suited for single-read offenses that are predetermined, which is very similar to those QB-friendly systems Shanahan runs.

If Zappe is more QB3 than anything, who could the Patriots bring in that fits the scheme, is good enough to run it in a pinch, and is mature enough to be comfortable as a mentor and backup?