On the Block or Not, John Ross Does Not Fit in Cincinnati

John Ross may or may not be available for trade. Regardless, both parties should move on.

Reports of the Bengals shopping former first round pick John Ross were followed almost immediately with the Cincinnati front office giving those reports the dreaded “fake news” label. No matter what the truth is, Ross has been a bad fit in Cincinnati from day one. Both sides would benefit from somehow parting ways.

Before the draft two years ago. Ross ran the fastest 40-yard dash time in the history of the combine.  Speed certainly has its place in the NFL, but a guy like Ross is never going to be the player who goes over the middle to catch eight-yard slant patterns on third and seven.

Ross’s most likely place in the NFL is taking the top off of defenses and catching deep balls. That is not what the Bengals offense does well.  According to Sports Info Solutions, Ross received the second highest percentage of uncatchable passes on throws of 20 yards or more amongst receivers with at least 15 or more deep targets.

With Andy Dalton firmly entrenched as starting quarterback, the deep ball is not magically going to become a big part of Cincinnati’s offense. People hoping new head coach Zac Taylor will change this shouldn’t hold their breath.  The Rams offense he had a hand in for the last two years functioned best when Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson were running the ball down defenses throats. A heavier dose of Joe Mixon is what is most likely and that is not a bad thing. Also, A.J. Green is building what may be Hall of Fame career, when the Bengals do use the deep ball, Green is understandably going to get a fair number of the targets.

Ross is having difficulty getting on the field as it is. 21 catches in two years are all he has been able to manage. Now, it does not appear his skillset fits what the Bengals offense is trying to do. The best hope for his career is for it to turn out like that of fellow receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.  Heyward-Bey was another combine speedster drafted in the first round by the Raiders who failed to make much of an impact in Oakland apart from one season in 2011. However, he has found a niche as a special teams ace in Pittsburgh since 2014.

For the Bengals, admitting they whiffed on Ross is not an appealing thing to do, but every NFL team whiffs fairly often. If they can add a more versatile pass catcher in the draft or free agency, no one will even notice Ross being gone. No matter how you slice it, The Bengals need a player they can use and Ross needs a change of scenery.

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