AJ McCarron and Bengals: Pryor’s Release Shows QB Confidence
By Julie Swartz
On Thursday of this week, the Cincinnati Bengals cut veteran quarterback Terrell Pryor from the team, after signing him this offseason. This shows that the Bengals are more than content with having AJ McCarron as their go-to backup behind Andy Dalton.
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Pryor has spent the majority of his NFL career as a back-up quarterback, since being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2011. His recent release from the Bengals has actually prompted him to pursue his career at the wide receiver position.
It will be interesting to see just how much interest he generates with this transition. Afterall, all signs were pointing to his quarterback career coming to a screeching halt.
By releasing Pryor, the Bengals inadvertently reveal just how confident they are with McCarron’s ability as the backup quarterback; especially with Pryor having that veteran experience at the NFL level that McCarron does not. It also says a lot about the talent McCarron has displayed thus far in OTAs and minicamp.
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As reported on NFL.com, Wallace Gillbery can attest to that, claiming, “The kid is doing awesome. When I say awesome, that’s kind of an understatement”. Clearly he has teammates on his side, which says a lot. Even McCarron has stated that he’s “slinging it” better this offseason than ever before.
It is a known fact that Dalton is the starting quarterback heading into the 2015 season, but McCarron’s talent and determination will most definitely push Dalton to perform at his best. In the back of his mind, he should know that McCarron is anxiously waiting to jump in.
It’s ironic when the release of one player can reveal so much about another. If for some reason Andy Dalton gets injured, or is unable to fulfull his duties as the starting quarterback for the Bengals, I think fans can be confident enough in their backup to come in and succeed in filling that role.