Washington Redskins: A.J. McCarron increases trade-down possibility
By Ian Cummings
A.J. McCarron’s team won’t be looking for a draft quarterback. That could be the difference.
McCarron was recently granted a release from the Cincinnati Bengals, following a grievance hearing, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. McCarron already holds more value than Bridgewater and Bradford on the open market. At 27 years old, he has plenty left in the tank, and his play, albeit sparse, has been solid thus far. He’s accrued a 93.7 passer rating in limited action, going 2-1 in three starts with the Bengals.
McCarron’s situation is not unlike Brock Osweiler’s two seasons ago. His sample size is small, but it looks good. Someone will pay big money to keep him. Not Garoppolo money. But he will be a starter on day one.
With McCarron supposedly filling a starting role for one of the aforementioned quarterback-needy teams in free agency, the number of such teams goes down on draft day. Perhaps, with one less team gunning to grab a franchise quarterback, teams will be more conservative in the early first round, instead nabbing core players to strengthen their roster.
As a result, a player like Lamar Jackson could slip through the cracks and fall to the Redskins at No. 13. There, they could trade down with the Bills or the Cardinals and acquire more picks.
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It’s not a guarantee that this happens. In fact, that is far from the case. But the availability of McCarron at least increases the possibility of a trade down for the Washington Redskins. Getting a third-rounder back after trading one away would be a crucial feat for the front office, and for a team that needs more depth on all levels, trading down would be nothing but a benefit.