Yes, on AA what you describe is called a "Priority Verification." It's basically a boarding pass with no seat assignment. On AA, it is used in several scenarios:

1) standby list pax (usually why you see these issued)
2) cleared standby list but no seat assigned yet (happens very rarely)
3) purchased ticket but no seat assigned yet (happens once in a while, especially when ticket was purchased overseas or as part of some kind of package deal at a third-party travel agency)

IMHO, it's the worst name for this kind of thing in the world, because it's neither a verification of anything nor indicative of priority.