Carson Palmer’s Backups

by Chris Bibey
2006-08-01

If you are a Bengals fan you have to be a bit concerned about the state of Carson Palmer’s knee. After all, he did tear two knee ligaments in their 31-17 season ending play-off defeat last year. In addition, he underwent reconstructive surgery on his left knee so that he could be ready for training camp 2006.

And even though Palmer is in camp and running the offense, one has to wonder what the Bengals will do if he cannot make it through the season. The answer to this question is not a simple one, but the coaching staff has done a decent job getting some backup experience at quarterback.

The #2 job is going to be a fight between Anthony Wright and Doug Johnson. At this point it appears that Wright has the leg up because he has been a starter in the NFL in the past. Last season he started nine games for the Baltimore Ravens, and did a decent job of keeping them in some games. He finished the season with 1,582 yards passing, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

On the other side of things, Johnson does not have as much game experience as Wright, but he has shown flashes of being a solid quarterback in the past. Even though he did not start any games last season, he did play in 10 games for Atlanta in 2003. During that season he threw for 1,655 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

With the departure of last season’s backup, Jon Kitna, either Wright or Johnson will have to step up. Even though they may never be called on to make a start, the fact of the matter is that with Palmer’s knee ailing, one of these guys could be thrust into the starting role at anytime.