Hobson: Don't Expect AJ McCarron to back up Andy Dalton at start of the season

Fans might want to slow down with the AJ McCarron talk.

While many have clamored for the former Alabama star quarterback to challenge Andy Dalton for the starting gig, the reality is McCarron may not even be ready to be his backup. After Cincinnati drafted him in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, McCarron spent his rookie season behind Jason Campbell and Dalton while not being active for even a preseason game.

While Butch Hobson doesn't foresee the Bengals drafting another QB this year, he doesn't think McCarron will be the backup when the 2015 season rolls around.

At least at the start of the season, A.J. McCarron last year’s fifth-round pick, has no chance of being the backup and they’ll be looking for a vet if it’s not Campbell.

They’ve got their developmental guy in McCarron, they can’t trade Dalton because of his contract, and they’ve defended him to the end of the earth. For 2015.

This is Hobson's opinion, but at the same time, the reality is McCarron didn't get much development in during his rookie season while recovering from a shoulder injury. He's probably a ways away from being ready for NFL action, and as we've seen with Marvin Lewis, he almost always had a veteran backup in place rather than a developmental rookie.

From Jon Kitna, to Ryan Fitzpatrick, to Bruce Gradkowski, to Jason Campbell this past year, Lewis has always had a vet with starting experience backing up his starter, so don't expect that to change in 2015.