In a move that had been widely anticipated in the next 10 days, the Bengals on Tuesday terminated the contract of veteran Josh Johnson to set up a final 53-man roster of two quarterbacks.
On Monday night AJ McCarron made his NFL debut and Tuesday he unofficially became starting quarterback Andy Dalton’s backup with Johnson’s release. After a slow start in the second half, McCarron led the Bengals to their only touchdown on an 80-yard hurry-up drive he completed eight of 10 passes for 66 yards during a 25-11 loss in Tampa.
Johnson, who backed up Dalton in 2013, played in the pre-season opener when McCarron was sidelined with pulled muscles in his rib cage and went 11-for-21 for 175 yards passing while rushing for 37 yards in the 23-10 victory over the Giants.