Backup quarterback A.J. McCarron had an interesting tidbit he shared on the second day of mandatory minicamp on June 12.
With it being just five days since the firing of general manager Brian Gaine, an unexpected move to make in between organized team activities and minicamp, there were questions about what it meant to the crop of free acquisitions and draft picks that the general manager who picked them was summarily fired.
For McCarron, Gaine’s firing did not have an impact on him, because he hardly met with him during the free agency process. Instead, the free agency courting was all orchestrated by coach Bill O’Brien.
“I met with him maybe two minutes,” McCarron said. “OB (Bill O’Brien) was the main deal behind me coming here. I spent most of my time with him, so I didn’t have anything with Mr. Gaine.”
O’Brien elaborated on what he likes about McCarron, who the Cincinnati Bengals drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft.
“He really comes in here and approaches every day in a very professional way,” O’Brien said. “He shows up on the days when the vets have off. He comes in with the rookies. He works with the rookies. He’s really put a lot of time into learning this offense and hopefully we can see the reward of that type of labor when we get to training camp.”
The Texans signed McCarron to a one-year contract on March 20. The former Alabama Crimson Tide has a 2-1 record for his career with six touchdowns and two interceptions. If the Texans have to rely on McCarron for any stretch of time due to an injury to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, Houston’s hope is that McCarron can fill in and keep the Texans competitive, which may not have been the case had they continued with Brandon Weeden as the backup.
