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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron passes during minicamp on June 11, 2014, in Cincinnati.

( AP Photo)

After Cincinnati president Mike Brown said the Bengals want AJ McCarron to take on the No. 2 quarterback position for the team in 2015, Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis backed up that assessment.

Brown made his remarks to the Cincinnati Enquirer and bengals.com on the eve of this week's NFL annual meeting. Lewis talked about McCarron during his breakfast with reporters at the event in Phoenix.

"Although we didn't get the opportunity to get down the road with him as much as we'd like, AJ McCarron has everything that you want in a successful quarterback in the NFL," Lewis said.

After the Bengals selected McCarron in the fifth round of last year's NFL Draft, the Alabama All-American spent most of his rookie season working out a shoulder issue and, as the Bengals' No. 3 QB, didn't play in a game in 2014, although he did make it to the active roster for the final three games of the regular season and a playoff game.

Cincinnati still has starter Andy Dalton at quarterback, but has not re-signed his backup, former Auburn star Jason Campbell. Lewis said Campbell might return to the Bengals, but as a veteran of 79 NFL starts under center, he might be out of Cincinnati's current price range. Campbell played the 2014 season on a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

Lewis said the Bengals would bring in competition for McCarron, and Brown indicated Cincinnati might take a quarterback in the draft. The Bengals have nine selections in the seven-round draft.

"We'll have some additions to the position that AJ will compete with, and we just have to go forward that way," Lewis said.

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Lewis again made it clear McCarron will not compete with Dalton for the starting job. Cincinnati has been to the playoffs in all four seasons with Dalton at QB, although the Bengals have lost their postseason opener every season.

"We signed Andy long-term," Lewis said. "We committed ourselves to Andy long-term, and now we feel really good about him and he will continue to get better with the pieces around Andy. Andy has done a lot of things not a lot of people have done. We have to keep playing better around him and that will be helpful to Andy."

An All-State football and baseball player at St. Paul's, McCarron was the starting quarterback for two BCS national-championship teams at Alabama, broke school records for passing and total offense, won the Maxwell Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, earned All-American recognition and finished as the runner-up for the 2013 Heisman Trophy.