www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com

AJ McCarron won his grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals and will become an unrestricted free agent next month Colts Authentic Jerseys , making him one of the more attractive quarterbacks on the market.

McCarron challenged the Bengals’ decision to put him on a non-football injury list as a rookie in 2014, when the fifth-round pick had a sore passing shoulder. The move meant that the season wouldn’t count toward free agency and McCarron would have to stick around as Andy Dalton’s backup for one more year in 2018.

Instead, an independent arbitrator ruled in McCarron’s favor on Thursday, a decision announced by the NFL players’ association.

Article continues below ...
The Bengals could keep him for one more season by applying a transition or franchise tag, which is highly unlikely given the cost. Instead, the 27-year-old McCarron is set to find a place where he can start.

Could it be Cleveland?

The Browns arranged a deal for McCarron shortly before the trade deadline on Oct. 31 but failed to submit the paperwork on time, scuttling the trade. Browns coach Hue Jackson was McCarron’s offensive coordinator in Cincinnati, giving him a firsthand assessment of the quarterback’s abilities.

The Browns went 0-16 last season with rookie DeShone Kizer struggling. They’re looking for stability at their most elusive position.

McCarron was a two-time national champion at Alabama. The Bengals drafted him to be Dalton’s backup Jaguars Authentic Jerseys , and he rarely played except in the preseason. During his four seasons, McCarron has appeared in only 11 games, most of them in the final minutes with a lopsided score.

His career-turning opportunity came in December 2015, when Dalton broke the thumb on his passing hand. McCarron started the last three games and led the Bengals to the playoffs. He then rallied the Bengals in a first-round game against Pittsburgh and had them in position to get their first playoff victory since the 1990 season, but Jeremy Hill fumbled and penalties on Vontaze Burfict and Adam ”Pacman” Jones set up the Steelers for a winning field goal in the final seconds.

In four seasons, McCarron has completed 86 of 133 passes for 920 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Bengals have Jeff Driskel as a backup to Dalton. He broke his hand in the preseason and was on an injury list. Driskel hasn’t played in a regular season game during his two seasons in Cincinnati.

—

The Texas Rangers sent rookie left-hander Yohander Mendez back to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday for violating team rules.

Mendez was supposed to start Wednesday’s series finale against Kansas City. But right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx will get the ball instead.

”It’s not criminal, nothing involving MLB or the police,” general manager Jon Daniels said. ”There will be a program that we’ll work with Yohander on.”

Daniels said at least one other player was involved Chiefs Authentic Jerseys , but his discipline will be handled in-house.

Second baseman Rougned Odor was scratched from Texas’ lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Royals, but manager Jeff Banister refused to comment on if the benching was related to the incident with Mendez, which took place after Monday night’s 6-3 victory at Kansas City and away from Kauffman Stadium.

Banister said Mendez will have to merit a return to the majors.

”Part of the development of where we are as a club is upholding a certain level of standards for veterans and young players alike,” Daniels said. ”Part of the development process of young players is on the maturity side as well. I’d say that’s kind of where this one falls.”

The 23-year-old Mendez is 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA in two games with the Rangers this season. He made his first major league start Friday against Colorado and was tagged for six runs and seven hits over three innings in a 9-5 loss.

The Valencia, Venezuela native broke into the majors in 2016. He is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in 11 career outings.

Bibens-Dirkx was recalled from Round Rock to replace Mendez. He made two starts for Texas earlier this season, going 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA.

”The rest of it I don’t have any comment,” Banister said. ”My messaging to the team is what I say to them as a group. I don’t always need my messaging to come out in print. We are a team. There are things that happened inside the team concept. We’ll continue to put the team first in these types of situations. There are standards we want to live by every day and we want to make sure those standards are held in high regard.”

—