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A.J. McCarron was very nearly a Cleveland Browns player last season. But due to some typical Browns incompetence, the deal didn’t go through and McCarron was stuck in Cincinnati for the rest of the year.
According to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, though, the Browns want to make it official this offseason and sign McCarron in free agency. The plan apparently is for McCarron to start next season while the Browns allow the rookie quarterback they draft – possibly with one of their two top-four picks – to sit and develop.
Cleveland, with four picks in the top 35 of the draft, is still exceedingly interested in signing free-agent quarterback A.J. McCarron after the trade-deadline-day debacle last fall … and then backstopping him with a rookie quarterback in the draft. I’m hearing that’s coach Hue Jackson’s preference, having coached McCarron in Cincinnati.
This plan of signing a former backup quarterback to start ahead of a high draft pick who still needs time to develop is certainly not new. Just last season, the Chicago Bears went this same route by signing Mike Glennon to start ahead of No. 2 pick Mitchell Trubisky. Things didn’t turn out quite as planned, though. Glennon struggled early and eventually lost his place to Trubisky earlier than expected. He will now be cut this offseason.
McCarron has the advantage of having an intimate knowledge of Jackson’s system during their time together in Cincinnati. But still, he’s largely inexperienced as a starter, so it's no guarantee he succeeds. Given the volatile and usually reactionary nature of the NFL, fans will be calling for the rookie to start if McCarron struggles and shows he’s not actually a starter-caliber QB.
