AJ McCarron cleared to practice; Bengals add Terrell Manning to practice squad

The Cincinnati Bengals have made several roster moves following the conclusion of Week 11, the most notable of which was the team clearing rookie QB AJ McCarron to begin practicing with the team.

McCarron (6-3, 220; Alabama) was a fifth-round Bengals selection in the 2014 Draft. He was with the Bengals in preseason but did not play or practice, due to a shoulder injury that predated the start of training camp. He is not on the 53-player roster, but remains on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, where he was placed on Aug. 30.

Today marks the beginning of a 21-day window, during which he may practice without being counted against the roster limit. He could be activated to the roster at any time during the window, per club decision.

The Bengals also signed LB Terrell Manning (first name pronounced "ter-ELL") to the practice squad. Manning (6-2, 237; North Carolina State) is a second-year NFL player with nine games of league experience. He was with the N.Y. Giants in the 2014 preseason and went to Miami and later Chicago's practice squads before being signed to the Bears roster on Sept. 22.

He played for the Bears in games 2-3 and 5 (no statistics). He was waived by Chicago on Oct. 14, signed to the Bears practice squad on Oct. 15 and released from the practice squad on Nov. 11. He was a fifth-round draft choice of Green Bay in 2012 and played in five games. He played in one game with San Diego in 2013.

To make room for Manning, Cincinnati released rookie LB Justin Jackson of Wake Forest from the practice squad. Jackson had been on the practice squad since Nov. 3.