Cincinnati Bengals: John Ross is on the trade block
By Erik Lambert
Nobody should expect things to stay the same with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason regarding their roster, for obvious reasons.
They’re coming off yet another year out of the playoffs and now the man who survived for so long as head coach in Marvin Lewis is gone. With him the structure and hierarchy he built too. Nobody can be considered safe from potential cuts or trades in the coming weeks. Not even established veterans. It all depends on what Zac Taylor and his new staff want to do.
It would seem there is one name that is gaining momentum as a likely castoff. That is former 1st round pick John Ross. The wide receiver rose to stardom coming out of Washington when he lit Indianapolis aflame with his blistering 4.22 run in the 40-yard dash, a scouting combine record. That showcased his big-play potential, something the Bengals felt they were lacking.
Sadly things went wrong almost from the start. Ross dealt with health setbacks and then seemed to get into the coach’s doghouse as a rookie. Last year he did catch seven touchdowns but only had 210 yards while missing another three games. It appears the organization is prepared to move on according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com.
Sources tell me the Cincinnati Bengals are hoping to trade receiver John Ross and will field offers during the combine. We'll have more tonight during our podcast.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) February 26, 2019
Bengals can likely score a decent pick for Ross
Everybody knows how much speed is coveted in the NFL. Teams are starved for it. There is no question several of them will believe they can do much more with Ross than Lewis’ staff was able to. Not an unfair assessment given their boring offensive philosophy and average-armed quarterback in Andy Dalton. Get Ross in a more creative system with a QB who can actually go deep and there’s no telling how much he’d improve.
In terms of compensation? That’s a tougher question. Given his production to this point, one would say Ross isn’t worth much more than a late round pick. Maybe a 6th rounder. However, him being 24-years old and still fast? That will likely increase the bidding for his services. It’s not hard to see teams offering a 4th or even a 3rd rounder for him. That’s how much simply being fast can increase your value in the NFL. Give the Bengals credit. At least they know this.
Odds are something will start to happen sometime between the scouting combine and the start of free agency in early March.