Bengals Big Play Tracker: Ross Catches a Bomb from Dalton

Two guy who need to show out for the Bengals are already doing it during camp as Andy Dalton and John Ross hook up for a deep pass.

One of the best parts of training camp is seeing the big plays that catch everyone’s eye. They go viral and spread around social media like a wildfire. It’s one of the quickest ways to get hyped for the football season. As these plays happen during Bengals camp, we will keep you apprised of them.

The first one happened already as Andy Dalton connected with John Ross for a deep touchdown during a full team scrimmage. Dre Kirkpatrick was in coverage on Ross 1-on-1, and he did a pretty good job the whole time. Ross looked smothered, but Dalton gave him enough room to run under the ball. Ross went nuclear, and burned past Kirkpatrick with his 4.22 speed, catching a miraculous touchdown.

This play bodes well for both Ross and Dalton, but it’s huge for Dalton. The biggest criticism of Dalton in his time with the Bengals has been his inability to throw the deep ball. His inaccuracy past 15 yards has always been an issue, but he supposedly worked hard on his deep throwing this offseason. Certainly, the early payoffs have been good, considering the bomb to Ross. If Dalton can air the ball out this year, it will help both Ross and AJ Green, who is still one of the best deep threats in the league.

As for Ross, this play shows he is ready for a big turnaround in 2018. His speed was his most enticing skill coming out of Washington, and he put it on display there. He was behind Kirkpatrick for much of the route, but blew past him in the span of ten yards. If he can do that in the regular season, basically every cornerback will struggle to contain him. Also, Ross seems to have a genuine rapport with Dalton. If that’s the case, Ross has a strong argument to be the WR2 for the Bengals this year.

In its entirety, this play is an absolute gem. This kind of play is exactly what the Bengals’ offense should look like when it’s humming. Hopefully, we’ll see more of these kinds of plays as training camp continues.