National Football League

Bengals' McCarron brimming with confidence despite addition of Pryor

Published May. 12, 2015 2:58 p.m. ET

foxsports

A.J. McCarron has yet to throw an NFL pass, but his confidence is at an all-time high.

The second-year quarterback never made it on the field last season due to a shoulder injury, but after working on his mechanics this offseason with quarterback guru Tom House, McCarron feels better than ever, a far cry from where he was last year.

"It kind of kills your confidence. It kills your mood coming into this place every day,” McCarron said of his injury Monday via Bengals.com. "You want to be here but you don't because… I'm not doing anything. I feel worthless and everybody's looking at me that way. So coming in this year knowing I'm back and I'm better than I've ever been and this is my second year being around the guys, and I know their personalities, it just feels great."

McCarron's motion is more compact, leading to a sharper delivery and better accuracy.

"Your hips have to come before everything else," he said. "Your shoulder is still here, but your hips are going. I was here, (the shoulder) already open when the ball was still back here and that put so much stress on back of the shoulder because it was two times harder to catch up to everything else."

The hard work this offseason is already paying off, judging from receiver Mohamed Sanu's feedback. "It’s getting on you fast and he’s accurate," Sanu said of McCarron's recent throws.

With last year's backup Jason Campbell out of the picture, the No. 2 job behind Andy Dalton is up for grabs. McCarron has his eyes on the prize, but understands why the Bengals have brought in Terrelle Pryor and Josh Johnson, another veteran quarterback.

"He's been in the league a couple years," McCarron said of Pryor. "So it's always good to add somebody to the room that's been through the process and is a competitor within his own and likes to compete. That's good for the room. That's how everybody is. That's the way J.J. is, and A.D. and me. We all like competing. It's making the room better."

Now the question is, who will be the man taking the snaps if Andy Dalton happens to go down -- a mobile quarterback who hasn't been able to stick or a pocket passer who's next pass attempt will be his first in the NFL?

h/t: Bengals.com