The Cincinnati Bengals have placed cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt on injured reserve, the team announced Monday. He must now miss the next four games, including the Week 13 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In addition, the Bengals have signed QB AJ McCarron off its practice squad to the active roster, so he will be taking Taylor Britt’s roster spot.
This is brutal news for the second-year defensive back, who was enjoying a breakout season at cornerback. However, he suffered a quad injury in Week 11 that led to him missing the team’s Week 12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Taylor-Britt was set to return for Week 13, but he suffered an ankle injury in Friday’s practice that was apparently significant since he’s going on IR. And with just six games remaining, it appears there’s a chance we’ve seen the last of him for the 2023 season.
As for McCarron, he was a 2014 fifth-round NFL Draft pick by way of Alabama who spent four years in Cincinnati, then bounced around the NFL with the Buffalo Bills (2018), Oakland Raiders (2018), Houston Texans (2019-20), and the Atlanta Falcons (2021).
For his career, McCarron has completed 62.6% of his passes for 1,173 yards and six touchdowns vs. three interceptions in 17 regular-season games (four starts, all with the Bengals).
McCarron also had a stint in the XFL this past spring with the St. Louis Battlehawks. There, he went 6-3 as a starter while completing 68.8% of his passes for 2,150 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
For now, Jake Browning is QB1, but if he continues to struggle or gets hurt, McCarron is the next man up.
