Jeff Driskel updates his injury status heading into Bengals OTAs

The Bengals lost AJ McCarron this offseason to free agency, leaving them without their backup quarter of the past four seasons.

The Bengals did end up signing Matt Barkley to a small deal, but that came in part because there wasn’t another healthy quarterback on the roster other than Andy Dalton.

That’s because Jeff Driskel is dealing with an arm injury right now. Driskel broke his arm in the final week of practice in the regular season. He injured it while lining up at wide receiver during practice and injured his non-throwing arm to the extent that surgery was required to fix the damage.

So, what’s the latest on Driskel’s availability for offseason workouts?

According to Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson, Driskell said his broken arm feels “excellent,” and he’s hoping he can get cleared in time for on-field drills that begin in May.

Driskel also spoke briefly about the the bizarre injury he suffered, which saw him break the arm while making a diving catch.

“It was the least of my worries, but yes,” said Driskel when asked if he made the catch. “It was OK. I was standing right there. I hadn’t done anything all year so I was happy to go in and help. Just bad luck. All year. But now it’s good luck. It’s feeling good.”

There’s no guarantee the Bengals will keep three quarterbacks this year, so Driskel may have to beat out Barkley just to retain his spot on the final 53-man roster. Then there’s the possibility that the Bengals spend a draft pick on a quarterback in this year’s draft.

All of this makes it imperative that Driskel get back on the field sooner rather than later.