More of the same at quarterback if Broncos sign AJ McCarron?
Feb 19, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: 1:29 am
News that quarterback A.J. McCarron won his grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals and, thus, would be a free agent stunned many across the football universe.
The judgment also paved way for not only a shift in the offseason quarterback market but also clamoring by some to bring the former Alabama standout to the Denver Broncos.
But would Denver acquiring McCarron mean more of the same woes at the quarterback position that the Broncos have faced in recent seasons?
“Schlereth and Evans” hosts Mark Schlereth and Mike Evans, along with “The Drive” co-host DMac, all lumped McCarron in with last season’s opening day starter Trevor Siemian, except with a higher price tag.
“He just looks, to me, like a Trevor Siemian sort of guy. He’s OK, but he’s not spectacular,” DMac said on Friday.
Said Evans: “I don’t think there’s a huge difference between McCarron and Trevor Siemian. So, what you’d be getting is another Trevor Siemian, spending a lot more money on him by the way, with the idea that you’re hoping against hope that the guy you draft high beats him out.
“And if he doesn’t beat him out, here we go again.”
Schlereth called McCarron “eh,” saying all bringing him in would do is guarantee he’d have a chance to compete for the starting job.
“Honestly, doesn’t that put you in the same position that we’ve been in here for the last three years?” Schlereth said, referring to the quarterback competitions in which Siemian beat out Paxton Lynch, among others, for the Broncos starting job.
DMac’s co-host, Alfred Williams, however, took offense to the idea of comparing McCarron to Siemian, saying those who equate the two athletically must be “mistaken.”
“So the guy who wins the Maxwell Award in college, the guy who wins the Johnny Unitas Award in college, the guy who’s a first-team All-American, and a guy who wins three national championships, that guy is the same guy as Trevor Siemian?”
A three-year starter and three-time national champion at Alabama, McCarron racked up 9,019 yards in four seasons with the Crimson Tide, throwing for 77 touchdowns with just 15 interceptions.
However, in limited time with the Bengals, McCarron has thrown for just 920 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.
By comparison, McCarron has slightly more favorable statistics than Siemian in a number of categories, including completion percentage (64.7 to 59.3), touchdown percentage (4.5 to 3.6), interception percentage (1.5 to 2.9), and quarterback rating (93.6 to 79.9).
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
