Quarterback AJ McCarron hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since Jan. 3, 2021. But the former Alabama All-American might be a step closer to the field with the Cincinnati Bengals.

On Thursday night, Bengals Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow threw a touchdown pass with 5:49 left in the first half of a 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. But he left the field after that play and didn’t return. Before heading to the locker room, Burrow couldn’t grip the football to throw it on the sideline.

“It looked like he sprained his wrist,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said after the game. “So he fell on it early in the game and then felt it on the touchdown pass.”

Taylor said he had “no idea” how much time Burrow might miss.

“All the information I have is two seconds’ worth,” Taylor said, “and then we went to try to go win the game.”

Jake Browning came in for Burrow. He’s the only other quarterback on Cincinnati’s active roster.

McCarron is on the Bengals’ practice squad. Each NFL team is allowed to elevate two practice-squad members to active status for each game (for a maximum of three times per player).

Browning completed 8-of-14 passes for 68 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran for 40 yards on four carries.

“I thought there were some positive things from Jake,” Taylor said. “That’s a tough, tough defense to face in your first NFL action. I was proud of the way he went in there and led those guys and competed. I can only imagine the situation he finds himself in when you’re down and it’s a situation like he was in. But I thought he competed and did some good things for us.”

Before Thursday night, Browning had four offensive snaps of NFL regular-season experience since entering the league from Washington as an undrafted rookie in 2019.

Cincinnati signed McCarron to its practice squad on Sept. 23, when Burrow was dealing with a calf injury. McCarron has not been elevated this season.

Earlier this year, McCarron played for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks, and he led the league in touchdown passes, completion percentage and passing-efficiency rating.

McCarron had been out of the NFL since the 2021 season, when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during an Atlanta Falcons’ preseason game on Aug. 21, 2021, and spent the year on injured reserve.

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By playing on Thursday night, the Bengals have a little extra time for Burrow to heal. Cincinnati plays next on Nov. 26, when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I know we’re disappointed with the loss,” Taylor said. “But I’m not discouraged by where this season’s headed after this game. These guys are going to stick together. We’re going to take the long weekend here and regroup and get ready for Pittsburgh next week.”

McCarron started his NFL career as a fifth-round draft choice of Cincinnati in 2014, and he spent four seasons as a backup to Andy Dalton with the Bengals.

When Dalton suffered a broken thumb in 2015, McCarron started the final three games of the regular season and a postseason game, nearly leading the Bengals to their first playoff victory in 25 years before the Pittsburgh Steelers rallied in the waning moments for an improbable 18-16 win.

McCarron also played for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans before joining the Falcons for the 2021 season. During the six NFL seasons in which he has played, McCarron worked as a backup for a quarterback picked for the Pro Bowl four times.

McCarron earned All-State honors in football and baseball at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile and helped the Saints win the AHSAA Class 5A football championship in 2007.

McCarron was the starting quarterback for the Alabama teams that won the BCS national championships for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2013, he became the Crimson Tide’s all-time passing leader, won the Maxwell Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.