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John Skelton | Quarterback

Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Age / DOB:  (25) / 3/17/1988
Ht / Wt:  6'6' / 244
College: Fordham
Contract: view contract details
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Bengals claimed QB John Skelton off waivers from the Cardinals.
He's the second quarterback the Bengals have acquired to compete behind Andy Dalton. Big-armed Skelton should be the favorite to beat out Josh Johnson for No. 2 duties after Johnson couldn't stick with college coach Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco last season. Still only 25, Skelton has lots of experience after being thrown into the fire in Arizona over the past three seasons, but could greatly benefit from observing as a pure reserve for a year or two. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Skelton will be a free agent next winter. Apr 3 - 4:49 PM
Source: Joe Reedy on Twitter

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Player News

Date:
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

Cardinals waived QB John Skelton.

This move would seem to foreshadow a Carson Palmer trade. The Palmer deal is going to happen, and NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the day that Skelton was likely the odd man out. Skelton, 25, started six games last season, completing 54.2 percent of his passes for 1,132 yards, two touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Over three NFL seasons, Skelton has a 15:25 career TD-to-INT ratio. Still only 25, Skelton will get another chance because he has a big arm. He'd make sense as a competitor for Tyrod Taylor in Baltimore, behind Joe Flacco.
Related: Cardinals
Source: Darren Urban on Twitter
Apr 1 - 6:16 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, "early indications" are that John Skelton will be released once the Cardinals acquire Carson Palmer.

The Cardinals are going to have five QBs once they bring Palmer aboard, which even in the offseason doesn't make sense. Skelton fell out of favor with Ken Whisenhunt down the stretch last season, and posted a pitiful 55.4 QB rating over 201 passes. Skelton's lone calling card is his strong arm, so it would be a poor sign for his future if he's cut loose by Bruce Arians, who loves big-armed QBs.
Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Apr 1 - 12:04 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

Cardinals declared QB John Skelton, S Rashad Johnson, OG Senio Kelemete, OG Mike Gibson, TE Kory Sperry, WR Early Doucet, and DE Ronald Talley inactive for Week 16 against the Bears.

Ryan Lindley gets another start at quarterback. The Cardinals' top three receivers with Doucet out will be Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and Andre Roberts.
Sun, Dec 23, 2012 02:58:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

Coach Ken Whisenhunt is unsure who will be the Cardinals' starting quarterback in Week 15.

Posed that question by a reporter in Sunday's presser, Whiz responded "Do you play?" Both John Skelton and Ryan Lindley were the worst player on the field when they entered the game in Sunday's 58-0 demolition in Seattle. "Part of our struggles have been tied into the inconsistency at that position. You've got to have something there that can cover up some other areas, and we're not getting that." If the Cardinals decide to hit the open market for a temporary fill-in, free agent Vince Young has offered up his services via Twitter.
Related: Ryan Lindley
Source: Arizona Republic
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 12:05:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

John Skelton was benched in favor of Ryan Lindley during the third quarter of the Cardinals' Week 14 game against the Seahawks.

It's tough to describe just how bad Skelton was. He finished 11-of-22 for 74 yards with no touchdowns, four interceptions and one lost fumble. The ball fluttered out of Skelton's hand, he threw into double coverage and was wildly inaccurate. One of his picks was taken to the house by Richard Sherman. When he left the game, the Cardinals were down 48-0. Skelton's performance is further proof that he's not worthy of a backup job in the NFL -- let alone a starter's gig.
Sun, Dec 9, 2012 06:38:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

The Cardinals will start John Skelton at quarterback in Week 14.

The Ryan Lindley experiment is mercifully over. It's likely coach Ken Whisenhunt would have lost the locker room had he stuck with his overmatched rookie, as Lindley simply gave the Cardinals a zero percent chance of winning against the similarly inept Jets in Week 13. Skelton is hardly Kurt Warner, but at least gives Arizona a chance to compete. Obviously, he won't be a viable QB2 for the first week of the fantasy playoffs.
Source: Mike Jurecki on Twitter
Wed, Dec 5, 2012 03:29:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

The Cardinals benched John Skelton in the second quarter of Sunday's Week 11 game against the Falcons.

Ryan Lindley, a fifth-round pick out of San Diego State, has taken over. The Cardinals were sitting on a 13-3 lead as Skelton was yanked, but pulled the trigger on a quarterback switch when he missed a wide-open Larry Fitzgerald for an easy touchdown. Skelton finished 2-of-7 for six yards. Kevin Kolb remains without a timetable for return from his debilitating abdominal and rib injuries.
Sun, Nov 18, 2012 01:59:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

John Skelton completed 23-of-46 passes for 306 yards, one touchdown, and an interception as the Cardinals were defeated by the Packers in Week 9.

Skelton connected on a 31-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and hit Andre Roberts for a first-half 40-yard bomb, which is really all fantasy owners can ask for at this point. Skelton is a statue in the pocket, and his accuracy as a passer continues to greatly underwhelm. Two-quarterback leaguers can comfortably drop Skelton during the Week 10 bye if there are better QB3s available.
Sun, Nov 4, 2012 06:07:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

Coach Ken Whisenhunt confirmed that John Skelton remain the starting quarterback with Kevin Kolb (ribs, shoulder) out of action.

Skelton has been horrific enough the past two weeks to lead to unfounded speculation that rookie Ryan Lindley would get a shot. "I don't know where the Lindley (talk's) coming from," Whisenhunt said. "We're going to continue to stay the course. With the way our quarterback situation's been going, probably Lindley will get a chance to play because it seems like we've had some issues there." Whiz may be referring to Skelton's chances of staying healthy as much as his quality of play.
Related: Ryan Lindley
Source: Arizonasports.com
Tue, Oct 30, 2012 03:31:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

John Skelton completed 32-of-52 passes for 290 yards and one interception in Arizona's Week 8 loss to the 49ers on Monday night.

Skelton and the entire offense put up a very uninspiring showing on national television. Arizona called a whopping 57 pass plays to just eight runs. La'Rod Stephens-Howling was completely useless in the run game and as a pass-blocker. Skelton wasn't much better. He was erratic and missed several receivers with high throws. Sure, he completed a lot of passes, but with some of the completions off the mark, he didn't give his guys much room to make something happen after the catch. Kevin Kolb (ribs, shoulder) is multiple weeks away from returning, so Arizona is going to have to ride it out with Skelton. The Cardinals head to Green Bay in Week 9.
Tue, Oct 30, 2012 12:00:00 AM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

John Skelton completed 25-of-36 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown, and one interception at Minnesota in Week 7.

The numbers don't look bad, but Skelton's 88.0 passer rating is meaningless. He took seven sacks, lost a fumble in the red zone, and was pick-sixed by Harrison Smith after throwing late across the middle. As bizarre as it sounds, the Cardinals sorely missed Kevin Kolb on Sunday. Skelton has a brutal matchup versus the 49ers in Week 8.
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 05:51:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

With Kevin Kolb (ribs) out for several weeks, John Skelton will start versus the Vikings in Week 7.

Finally over his ankle injury, Skelton was just 2-of-10 for 45 yards and the game-sealing interception in relief of Kolb last week. Our early-week rankings have Skelton 25th among 26 fantasy QB options against Minnesota's ninth-ranked defense. He's only an option in two-quarterback leagues.
Source: Fox Sports Arizona
Tue, Oct 16, 2012 03:42:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

John Skelton replaced the injured Kevin Kolb (rib) in the fourth quarter and completed just two-of-10 passes for 45 yards and an interception in Week 6 against the Bills.

Skelton stepped into the game after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. It was Skelton's first game action since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 1. The severity of Kolb's injury is unknown at this point, but Skelton could very well start the Week 7 game against the Vikings. Check back throughout the week for updates.
Sun, Oct 14, 2012 08:30:00 PM
John Skelton - QB - Bengals

John Skelton (ankle) is available to play in Sunday's game against the Bills.

Kevin Kolb will start Sunday, but coach Ken Whisenhunt isn't committing to him for the long-term. Skelton won the job in training camp and will be healthy enough to start next week. Kolb's job security should be considered a week-to-week issue now.
Source: ESPN.com
Sun, Oct 14, 2012 12:36:00 PM

Depth Charts

Skill Players
PosRoleName
QB1Andy Dalton
2John Skelton
3Josh Johnson
4Zac Robinson
RB1BenJarvus Green-Ellis
2Giovani Bernard
3Rex Burkhead
4Cedric Peerman
5Bernard Scott
GLB1BenJarvus Green-Ellis
2Giovani Bernard
3RB1Giovani Bernard
2Rex Burkhead
FB1Chris Pressley
2John Conner
WR11A.J. Green
2Andrew Hawkins
3Ryan Whalen
4Dane Sanzenbacher
5Tyrone Goard
WR21Mohamed Sanu
2Marvin Jones
3Brandon Tate
4Cobi Hamilton
5Taveon Rogers
WR31Andrew Hawkins
TE1Jermaine Gresham
2Tyler Eifert
3Orson Charles
4Alex Smith
5Richard Quinn
K1Mike Nugent