AJ McCarron, Andy Dalton

Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks AJ McCarron (5) and Andy Dalton talk before an NFL game against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 25, 2016, in Cincinnati.

(AP Photo)

While the expectation seems to be that Cincinnati will try to trade backup quarterback AJ McCarron this offseason, the Bengals' director of player personnel has told the Cincinnati Enquirer the former Alabama star is an "extremely valuable piece of our team" and "a big piece of what we do."

After leading Cincinnati down the stretch and into the playoffs during the 2015 season, McCarron hardly played in 2016. McCarron took only two of the Bengals' 1,087 offensive snaps during the regular season -- handing off twice on the last two plays of Cincinnati's 35-17 Week 6 loss to the New England Patriots on Oct. 16.

McCarron's performance in 2015, his lack of playing time in 2016, the seemingly entrenched status of Pro Bowler Andy Dalton as Cincinnati's QB and the number of quarterback-needy teams in the NFL combined to give rise to the speculation that the Bengals would move McCarron before he enters the final season of his contract in 2017.

"AJ's done a really good job of taking advantage of the opportunities he's been given," Duke Tobin told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "AJ's a competitor. AJ wants to be a starting quarterback. Those are traits that you want to see in a guy. You don't want guys that are content with their role if it's not as big as what it could be. AJ is used to the big stage, and when he got on it, he produced. So he's become a very valuable piece of our team. Even though you don't see him on the field that much, he's become an extremely valuable piece of our team.

"We're proud of the way he's handled it. We're proud of the way that he goes about his work. The support he gives Andy and the rest of the offense, I think, is underestimated. He is a big piece of what we do, and he certainly is very capable. Whenever he's in the game or whenever we would have to put him in the game, we feel comfortable that he can get the job done. That's a credit to him and the coaches for getting him ready with limited practice."

An All-State football and baseball player at St. Paul's in Mobile, 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.

He joined the Bengals as a fifth-round choice in the 2014 NFL Draft. McCarron spent most of his rookie season working out a shoulder problem. He didn't play a down in 2014 -- not even in the preseason -- but emerged as Dalton's backup in 2015.

McCarron had appeared in mop-up roles in three lopsided Cincinnati wins earlier in the 2015 when Dalton suffered a broken thumb against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 13, 2015. McCarron entered that game and went the rest of the way the rest of the season under center for Cincinnati.

McCarron helped the Bengals win two of their final three regular-season games (with the loss coming to eventual Super Bowl 50 champ Denver in overtime) to wrap up the AFC North title. In his three regular-season starts, McCarron completed 54-of-83 passes for 552 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.

In the playoffs, McCarron rallied Cincinnati from a 15-0 deficit to a 16-15 lead over Pittsburgh with less than two minutes to play with three straight scoring drives in the fourth quarter. A fumble and a meltdown by the Bengals' defense kept Cincinnati from picking up its first postseason victory since 1990 as the Steelers came back for an 18-16 win.

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McCarron recently took part in a question-and-answer piece for the web site Cross the Line, which aims to share the Gospel through sports news. McCarron provided some insight into his outlook as a quarterback, a position he's played for more than two decades.

"I have played quarterback ever since I was 3 years old," McCarron said. "I won my first QB starting job because the coach asked everybody to sit down on the bench. We then had to raise our right hand and our left hand and I was the only one to get it right, so he named me as quarterback.

"It is a great responsibility. You are just trying to lead the guys and motivate them in whatever way you can. I kind of see it like a point guard on a basketball team. Your job is to get the guys' best ability out of them every time you play, and that's also a huge pressure. It is fun to be a part of, for sure."

McCarron is involved in a charity golf tournament again this spring in Mobile.

The United Way of Southwest Alabama's second annual Hometown NFL Huddle Charity Golf Tournament is scheduled for March 24 at Magnolia Grove. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the tournament.