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Atlanta Falcons quarterback AJ McCarron is out for the season with an ACL tear in his right knee, a source confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.
McCarron injured his knee in the second quarter of Saturday’s 37-17 preseason loss to Miami. He caught his knee after handing the ball over to running back Qadree Ollison. As he finished his typical post-transfer move, McCarron gripped the knee.
He tried to withdraw, but coaches and medics examined him first on the pitch and then on the sidelines before he made his way to the locker room. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Feleipe Franks, with whom he was competing for a replacement role behind starter Matt Ryan, who hasn’t played at all this preseason.
After Saturday’s loss, Falcons coach Arthur Smith couldn’t contain his sympathy for the veteran.
“I really feel for AJ McCarron,” Smith said. “Anytime something like that happens and it’s non-contact, it’s hard when you know what these guys are putting on. I feel for AJ. We will obviously have the MRI to confirm, but he has the Broken Heart.
“He had bounced back and he was out there fighting, fighting for his team and trying to get some extra yards.”
McCarron completed 3 of 6 passes for 43 yards. He also had a 7-yard run before being tackled by Miami linebacker Sam Eguavoen – the game just before he caught his right knee.
For the preseason, McCarron completed 8 of 18 passes for 79 yards and one interception.
With McCarron out, that leaves two quarterbacks on Atlanta’s roster – Ryan and Franks. Smith indicated on Saturday night that if McCarron were to be out for an extended period, the team would consider acquiring another quarterback.
Among the free agency options are former first-round picks Blake Bortles, Robert Griffin III, who recently joined ESPN as an NFL and college football analyst, and Josh Rosen. It is also possible that other quarterbacks will become available over the next three days, as teams must reduce to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon.
News of McCarron’s season-ending injury was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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