NFL free agency 2018: Bengals sign Matt Barkley to a 2-year contract

The Cincinnati Bengals may have found their next backup quarterback.

On Saturday, the team signed Matt Barkley to a contract, he announced on Twitter. According to Geoff Hobson, it’s a two-year deal with a 2018 cap hit of $1.4 million.

With AJ McCarron off to the Buffalo Bills, Barkley figures to be the No. 2 quarterback when the 2018 season begins. Barkley has spent the majority of his career as a backup rarely seeing the field, but he did have a brief stretch as the Chicago Bears’ starter in 2016.

In seven games that season (6 starts), Barkley completed 129 of 216 passes for 1,611 yards, eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

For his career, Barkley has completed 159 of 266 passes (59.8%) for 1,911 yards (7.2 avg) and eight scores vs 18 interceptions.

Depending on the details of the contract and how much guaranteed money there is, Barkley may not even be guaranteed a roster spot when the regular season begins.

Still, this was a smart move for the Bengals to make with Jeff Driskel sidelined for now with a broken arm.