A Kirk Cousins-to-Denver path has lost some steam over the past week or so, and although nothing’s been decided yet, the Broncos appear to have multiple contingency plans.
Having been linked to Case Keenum throughout the offseason, the Broncos may now have A.J. McCarron on their radar. McCarron could be a target for the Broncos if Cousins signs elsewhere, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (Twitter link).
The obvious connection here would be McCarron and Vance Joseph, a former Bengals defensive backs coach during part of the quarterback’s time in Cincinnati. While McCarron could be seen as a mid-tier option on this quarterback market, he figures to receive a chance somewhere since several teams are going after Cousins and the runners-up will need backup plans.
Based on his game inexperience, McCarron profiles as a buyer-beware option. He did play well in an overtime loss in Denver in 2015 while Andy Dalton was out, but Brock Osweiler outplayed him that night. And the latter is not believed to be a consideration for the Broncos as a possible Week 1 starter.