The Ravens waived him after the season, and the Bengals signed him in June. He spent the first 13 weeks of this season on the practice squad, but when starting quarterback Andy Dalton fractured his thumb Dec. 13 against Pittsburgh, the Bengals made the decision to promote Wenning to the active roster to be the backup to AJ McCarron rather than signing a veteran free agent.
A four-year starter at Ball State, where he broke numerous school records, Wenning hasn’t thrown a meaningful pass since leading the Cardinals to the 2014 GoDaddy.com Bowl. But that could change at any moment now that’s he ascended to the role of McCarron’s backup.
Wenning talked about his promotion, his friendship with McCarron and the possibility of making his NFL debut for this week’s Bengals High 5:
Q: Did it seem like a big vote of confidence that the Bengals elected to promote you to the 53-man roster after Andy's injury instead of going out and signing a veteran backup?
A: I think so. I think they've seen the work that I've put in and with my relationship with AJ, I feel like they had a good feeling about it. I have a great understanding of the offense compared to if they brought somebody else in and tried to rush them through the offense. It was a great nudge to me to be promoted and be in this position.
Q: One day last week it was about 30 minutes after practice and I saw you and AJ sitting in the tunnel at it sounded like you were quizzing each other on play calls and progressions. Is that what was going on?
A: We have a really close relationship. We're up here every day at 6 a.m. preparing and studying with each other. I'm quizzing him and he's quizzing me, and we're just trying to make each other better in any way possible. We've been grinding with whatever it may be on the game plan that we need to know. That's what we were doing at that moment, studying to better know it.
Q: Other than wearing the same uniform and playing the same position, what is it about AJ that has led to you and he becoming such good friends?
A: We just relate well outside of football, whether we're hanging out at each's other place or whatever it is. He's just easy to get along with and our goals are similar and the things that we like are similar. It's easy for us to gel together. It's good to have those close relationships on the team.
Q: Knowing that you're one snap away from making your NFL debut since your promotion to the 53-man roster, did your parents or anybody go to the San Francisco or Denver games?
A: No, no one made the trip to either place. My dad recently had back surgery, so he can't travel. But they're watching every game and keeping a close eye on it from home. But he's making the trip down this week. He'll be here ready to watch, along with my mom, sister, her fiancee, a couple of her friends, a couple of my friends. There's 15 to 20 people total that I know of that are coming. They're probably more from my hometown that I don't even know. There's a lot of Bengals fans back in Coldwater.
Q: In the back of your mind are you thinking about what it will be like if that opportunity to play arises?
A: Absolutely. I don't think you can go into this situation without thinking about it. You always know as a backup it's one play. It could be like Andy early in the game where AJ had to go in, or it could be toward the end. You don't know. That's why you always have to be prepared and on your toes and ready to go.
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