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Former Alabama national-championship-winning quarterback AJ McCarron is set to make his long-awaited NFL debut tonight in the Cincinnati Bengals' second preseason game on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McCarron missed the entirety of his rookie season last year with a shoulder issue and was held out of the Bengals' first preseason game last week because of an undisclosed upper body injury. But now, he's ready to finally hit the field and throw for the first time in an NFL uniform.
"I'm excited, for sure," McCarron said, according to Cincinnati.com. "I'm just ready to get out and start playing again."
Cincinnati selected McCarron with the 164th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft but has yet to see him throw a pass -- outside of practice. In fact, the last time McCarron suited up for a game that he actually participated in was the Crimson Tide's Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma in January of 2014. McCarron threw for 387 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 19-of-30 passing in that game versus the Sooners.
The wait, however, is finally over. Tonight, McCarron will see the second-team snaps under center, after starter Andy Daltonplays a series or two, and should stay in the game for some time -- maybe even into the second half. But with this being his first NFL action, McCarron isn't expecting an MVP outing.
"I know there's going to be ups and downs just because I haven't played a football game since 2014," McCarron said. "You just have to stay through it, never get too high, never get too low, find a happy medium. The biggest thing is I want to get us in the right situation as much as possible. Try to slow the game down as much as possible also."
Head coach Marvin Lewis is also looking forward to McCarron's NFL debut after what he's seen on the practice field.
"What you like about him is he seems to thrive off of confidence and things going well and making a play, and it comes to life," Lewis said. "He's a good leader in the huddle. He really brings the best out of people, which is great."
The Bengals-Buccaneers game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.
Former Alabama national-championship-winning quarterback AJ McCarron is set to make his long-awaited NFL debut tonight in the Cincinnati Bengals' second preseason game on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McCarron missed the entirety of his rookie season last year with a shoulder issue and was held out of the Bengals' first preseason game last week because of an undisclosed upper body injury. But now, he's ready to finally hit the field and throw for the first time in an NFL uniform.
"I'm excited, for sure," McCarron said, according to Cincinnati.com. "I'm just ready to get out and start playing again."
Cincinnati selected McCarron with the 164th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft but has yet to see him throw a pass -- outside of practice. In fact, the last time McCarron suited up for a game that he actually participated in was the Crimson Tide's Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma in January of 2014. McCarron threw for 387 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 19-of-30 passing in that game versus the Sooners.
The wait, however, is finally over. Tonight, McCarron will see the second-team snaps under center, after starter Andy Daltonplays a series or two, and should stay in the game for some time -- maybe even into the second half. But with this being his first NFL action, McCarron isn't expecting an MVP outing.
"I know there's going to be ups and downs just because I haven't played a football game since 2014," McCarron said. "You just have to stay through it, never get too high, never get too low, find a happy medium. The biggest thing is I want to get us in the right situation as much as possible. Try to slow the game down as much as possible also."
Head coach Marvin Lewis is also looking forward to McCarron's NFL debut after what he's seen on the practice field.
"What you like about him is he seems to thrive off of confidence and things going well and making a play, and it comes to life," Lewis said. "He's a good leader in the huddle. He really brings the best out of people, which is great."
The Bengals-Buccaneers game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.
