John Ross landing spots: New England Patriots
For a number of reasons, the New England Patriots should be considered the most likely trade partners in a John Ross deal. Bill Belichick has a strong relationship with Mike Brown and the Bengals organization, pulling off multiple trades with the franchise residing in the Queen City over the course of his career.
Not to mention, Belichick has a knack for getting more out of receivers than most franchises are capable of. He’s a sucker for reclamation projects.
He’s got Cam Newton and the rest of the Patriots sitting at 2-3, two games back from the first-place Buffalo Bills. He’s still in contention to win the division but at the very least, he’s capable of sneaking the post-Tom Brady iteration of the team into the expanded playoffs.
They could certainly use some help at wide receiver to get them there. Could John Ross really move the needle for them though? You have to think the Patriots are willing to find out if all they have to give up is a sixth-round pick.
Insert Ross and his much-needed speed into a rotation that consists of Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry. Perhaps it adds enough of a dynamic to lift the struggling Patriots’ offense off the ground.
For the Bengals, they get another crack at finding a late-round contributor. They’ve had plenty of success in that department recently, discovering players like Auden Tate and Brandon Wilson. Plus, they remove one of the many disgruntled voices from the locker room.