John Ross, now a former Cincinnati Bengals player, will get a fresh start with the New York Giants.
Ross agreed to a one-year prove-it deal with the Giants on Tuesday, putting a guaranteed end to his time in Cincinnati.
The Bengals made Ross the ninth pick of the 2017 draft and a combination of injuries and a bad fit with Marvin Lewis’ coaching staff had him flirting with bust status right out of the gates. Ross did put up seven touchdowns in 2018 as a redzone weapon, but then caught just 28 of 56 passes in Zac Taylor’s first season before getting benched in 2020, appearing in just three games.
A multitude of things went wrong for Ross in Cincinnati and he didn’t always have the fairest shake either, in terms of sheer chances and usage. He’ll get to start over for a rebuilding New York team guided by quarterback Daniel Jones.
As for the Bengals, the Ross selection will forever be a sour point because…Patrick Mahomes came off the board with the next pick. Outside of that, the odd gamble came at a time when the team was blowing it with the offensive line — a problem they still haven’t fully fixed.
