Bengals Won’t Face Penalty Over McCarron
On Thursday, Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron scored two victories against his employer. The most notable, of course, is that he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The other W came in the way of restitution for the year he spent on the non-football injury (NFI) list. McCarron will recoup his lost salary for that time, but the Bengals will not be fined for the move, Mike Florio of PFT reports. 
“The NFL Management Council represented the club in the grievance,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said via email.
When asked whether this means that the league agreed with the team’s decision to place McCarron on the NFI list in 2014, McCarthy responded in the affirmative. McCarron did not agree with the decision, of course, and an arbitrator sided with him against the team.
The Bengals drafted the Alabama product in 2014 and placed him on the NFI list at the start of training camp due to a shoulder injury. McCarron later argued that he was healthy enough to come off of NFI during camp, but the Bengals did not activate him until December of that year. Placing McCarron on the NFI list allowed the Bengals to effectively stash an extra player on the roster and also gave them grounds to argue that he did not accrue a full year of service time that would allow him to reach UFA status in 2018.
McCarron is now set for unfettered free agency, where he figures to make a whole lot more than the one-year, ~$4MM tender he likely would have gotten from the Bengals.
A.J. McCarron Speaks On Future
Now that’s been declared an unrestricted free agent, Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron says he’s “open to everything,” according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s just awesome just to be free now and to hopefully get that opportunity and be able to compete somewhere,” said McCarron. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I’m just super excited.” McCarron, who won a grievance against the Bengals, will now join a free agent signal-caller class that includes Kirk Cousins, Case Keenum, and Sam Bradford, among others. In what sounds like speculation, the Browns (who nearly traded for McCarron last year) and the Vikings are two team to “keep an eye on” as McCarron hits the open market, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
A.J. McCarron To Be Unrestricted Free Agent
Quarterback A.J. McCarron has won his grievance against the Bengals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and finally get his opportunity to be a starting quarterback. 
McCarron has not seen a lot of playing time behind Andy Dalton, but he has impressed in a limited sample. In the final four games of 2015, when Dalton was out with an injury, he passed for 832 yards and six touchdowns against just two interceptions.
Last year, the Bengals were able to keep McCarron at a very modest $735K cap number. Had they been able to tag him as a restricted free agent with the first-round tender, they would have been able to either retain him for about $4MM or acquire a first-round pick from the team signing him. Instead, McCarron will hit free agency completely unfettered, making a return to the Bengals unlikely. Already, head coach Marvin Lewis has dismissed the idea of moving on from Dalton as the team’s starter this season and the Bengals can’t afford to give McCarron starter-type money.
In addition to winning UFA status, McCarron will also collect on lost salary from the 2014 season, with interest (Twitter link via Rapoport). In that season, McCarron was placed on the NFI list due to a shoulder injury.
This year’s unrestricted free agent QB class was already shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory and the addition of McCarron makes it even stronger. Kirk Cousins is the unanimous top draw, but Vikings QBs Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, and Teddy Bridgewater are also scheduled to reach the open market in March. Technically speaking, Saints QB Drew Brees is also a free agent, but he is widely expected to re-sign with the club before things open up next month.
Beyond those free agents, there’s also likely trade candidate Tyrod Taylor and a handful of intriguing QB prospects in this year’s draft. Teams with uncertainty under center like the Jets, Broncos, Browns, and Cardinals couldn’t ask for more in the way of options.
Latest On A.J. McCarron’s Free Agent Status
Originally, it was reported that Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron would learn about his free agent status on Thursday. However, that’s not exactly the case. Thursday is the anticipated date for a ruling, but Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (on Twitter) now hears that’s just a possibility. It’s now uncertain as to when we’ll hear the outcome of McCarron’s grievance. 
If McCarron is classified as an unrestricted free agent, he’ll become one of the hottest names in an unusually talent-rich quarterback crop. Kirk Cousins is, of course, the top prize and Case Keenum figures to be the top alternative for teams that miss out on the Redskins signal caller. But, with Drew Brees expected to re-sign with the Saints, McCarron would factor in as one of the three best UFAs at the position.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson missed out on acquiring McCarron at the trade deadline, but the new regime could get a second chance at bringing him to Cleveland. The Jets, Cardinals, Broncos, and other QB-needy teams are also keeping a watchful eye on McCarron’s case.
If McCarron remains a restricted free agent, he’ll likely be stuck holding the clipboard for another season. Cincinnati reportedly plans to use a first-round tender on McCarron if he loses his grievance and coach Marvin Lewis says he’ll continue to start Andy Dalton in 2018. The Browns were willing to cough up a second-round pick and a third-round pick for McCarron during the season, but there’s no way that they’ll part with their No. 1 overall pick for the right to acquire him on a one-year, $4MM+ deal. Even teams picking later in the draft like the Cardinals (No. 15) or the Bills (No. 21) would likely pass on that scenario.
Bengals Sign OT Bobby Hart
The Bengals have signed free agent offensive tackle Bobby Hart to a one-year deal, the club announced today.
Hart, 23, had been a part-time starter for the Giants since entering the league as a seventh-round pick in 2015. Last season, Hart played roughly half of New York’s offensive snaps, but graded as a bottom-five tackle per Pro Football Focus. After Hart reportedly refused to practice late last year, new Giants general manager Dave Gettleman placed him on injured reserve, and subsequently waived him from IR last week.
The Bengals, however, are forced to overlook some of Hart’s negative traits due to their extremely weak offensive line. Cincinnati finished among the bottom half of the NFL in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate, and front five upgrades were at the top of the club’s offseason to-do list. Hart clearly won’t solve all of the Bengals’ offensive line problems, but he’ll add depth and experience to a unit that needs both.
At present, Cincinnati is projected to start 2015 draft selections Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher at the tackle spots, though neither is assured of playing time. Veteran Andre Smith could potentially re-sign for a third stint in the Queen City, while the Bengals may consider further free agent additions or draft picks.
Bengals Eye New Deals for Atkins, Dunlap
- One of the Bengals‘ top priorities this offseason is getting new deals done for defensive tackle Geno Atkins and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Ideally, the Bengals would like to frontload those deals, giving them more room to work with in 2019 and beyond. This year, Atkins is slated to carry a $9.5MM cap hit and Dunlap is slated to count for $7.3MM. If the Bengals can get both deals squared away before free agency begins next month, they will have a better idea of how much room they have to work with. Recently, PFR’s Dallas Robinson examined the Bengals’ other top priorities for the offseason, starting with the offensive line.
Updated 2018 NFL Draft Order
With the Super Bowl in the books, we now know the draft order for the entire first round of the 2018 draft. Here’s the rundown:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
T-9. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
T-9. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (Note: The Raiders and 49ers have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broken by a coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 9 and the other club receiving the No. 10 pick.)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. New England Patriots (13-3)
32. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
Opinion: Bengals Must Gauge McCarron Market
It’s imperative that the Bengals gauge the A.J. McCarron market correctly this offseason, Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski of the Enquirer write. Unless the quarterback wins his grievance case, he’ll be a restricted free agent, meaning that the team can attach a second-round tender to him and likely collect on a valuable draft pick.
In theory, the Bengals could use the first-round tender ($4MM+), but that would place him in the upper tier of backup quarterbacks not on rookie contracts. Last year, only three such QBs earned more – Mike Glennon, Nick Foles, and Matt Schaub. Rival clubs would be willing to take on McCarron for that salary, but it’s hard to see a team also sacrificing a first-round pick in that scenario.
2018 Proven Performance Escalators
According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.
If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.908MM in 2018. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.
Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2018 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:
49ers: Trent Brown, T; Eli Harold, LB
Bears: Adrian Amos, S
Bengals: Tyler Kroft, TE; Josh Shaw, DB
Bills: John Miller, G
Broncos: Max Garcia, G; Trevor Siemian, QB
Browns: Duke Johnson, RB
Buccaneers: Kwon Alexander, LB
Cardinals: David Johnson, RB; J.J. Nelson, WR
Chargers: Kyle Emanuel, LB
Chiefs: Chris Conley, WR; Steven Nelson, CB
Colts: Henry Anderson, DE; Mark Glowinski, G; Denzelle Good, OL
Dolphins: Bobby McCain, CB
Eagles: Jay Ajayi, RB; Jordan Hicks, LB
Falcons: Grady Jarrett, DT
Jaguars: A.J. Cann, OL
Lions: Quandre Diggs, CB
Packers: Jake Ryan, LB
Panthers: Daryl Williams, T
Patriots: Trey Flowers, DE; Shaq Mason, G
Raiders: Clive Walford, TE
Rams: Jamon Brown, G
Ravens: Za’Darius Smith, LB
Redskins: T.J. Clemmings, OL; Jamison Crowder, WR
Saints: Tyeler Davison, DT
Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, WR
Steelers: Jesse James, TE
Vikings: Stefon Diggs, WR; Danielle Hunter, DE
OverTheCap.com was essential in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals Could Consider Boling For LT
- Clint Boling took some snaps at left tackle last season, and Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes the Bengals could consider that for the future — even if he’s merely the backup tackle. Boling has been the Bengals’ left guard for six seasons. At right guard, Cincinnati liked what it saw from its young options will likely turn to either Alex Redmond, a 2016 UDFA, or Christian Westerman, a 2016 fifth-rounder, in 2018, per Dehner.