For what it’s worth, wide receiver John Ross of Washington ran a 4.22 40 yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine which is the recorded for fastest dash to this day.
A ton has been made about Troy Pride, Jr. who we discussed last week for despite not having the most impressive statline, having quite a resume and seemingly having his stock rise ahead of the NFL Draft.
Pride’s coverage skills were always good at Notre Dame even if his size isn’t exactly that of a traditional NFL cornerback, at least not of the traditionally sized stars.
However, his speed is truly elite. The former track team member at Notre Dame ran a 10.5 second 100 meter dash at the ACC Outdoor Championships in 2018, good enough for a fifth place finish before he moved on from track and focused solely on football.
One of our earlier picks as a sleeper to watch at the combine, Pride could seize the stage at the combine by following a standout Senior Bowl with another impressive workout. Pride said he’s “way faster now” than when Notre Dame hand-timed him at 4.30, and he was recognized as one of the Athletic Coast Conference’s top sprinters during his freshman and sophomore years.
For what it’s worth, wide receiver John Ross of Washington ran a 4.22 40 yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine which is the recorded for fastest dash to this day.
“It’s become the norm for the media to attack a team that doesn’t do that well,” Ross said, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It’s not OK, but it comes with the territory. Once we start doing better, we’ll flip the script just like the San Francisco 49ers. Two years ago they won four games. Now they go play in a Super Bowl. That can be very much anyone’s story. Just how hard you work in the offseason and how well the team comes together. We’ll see where the next couple of months ago.”
Is a turnaround quicker than most would predict possible? Always. This is the NFL and things change by the week.
If Burrow, the presumed No. 1 pick, meshes well with a talented crew headed up by A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon and gets some help from a revamped defense, a big swing is always possible. Few can ever reasonably expect a 49ers-type turnaround, but it clearly isn’t impossible.
Ross will have to be a part of this, of course. He showed flashes of major production early last year when a coaching staff actually gave him a chance before getting hurt again.
While he left it unsaid, Ross surely understands he has to play a role in this.
The Bengals WR isn’t shying away from talking some Joe Burrow.
Joe Burrow to John Ross has a nice ring to it, right?
The Cincinnati Bengals might just make that a possibility via the first pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
And if they do, Ross has already gotten a head start on working with Burrow. The Bengals wideout has shown up a few times on Jordan Palmer’s Instagram — he’s busy helping Burrow with pre-draft training right now.
“That definitely will be,” Ross said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He looked like a national champion … I think everybody knows how talented he is. He knows how talented he is. I like the way he carried himself. He looked just as good as he did all season.”
Ross himself is an interesting story. He showed massive upside last year while at one point leading the NFL in receiving before getting hurt again. He finished the year with just eight games played.
But it’s no secret one of Burrow’s strengths as a prospect is his accuracy on deep passes, oftentimes after extending or creating with his legs. Or written another way, it’s not hard to see why Ross might be excited about the idea.
Which just goes to show that the Burrow hype doesn’t just apply to Bengals fans — players are feeling it too.
The Cincinnati Bengals used the ninth pick in the 2017 draft to take speedy Washington receiver John Ross.
But what if the front office hadn’t picked Ross?
That’s a question a new re-mock of the 2017 draft attempts to answer courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey. In that effort — a full re-mock of the 2017 opening round — the Bengals instead choose current New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams:
“A lot of people probably still remember Williams for the play he made — or rather, didn’t make — at the end of the Saints’ playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That’s a shame because Williams has developed into one of the league’s best free safeties. His 90.8 overall grade since 2017 ranks sixth at the safety position, and he ranks sixth in the entire 2017 class in PFF WAR over the first three seasons of his career. The Bengals are in a position where they can use all the help that they can get in coverage. Williams would be a massive step in the right direction, and he would be a clear upgrade over their previous pick in this slot, Ross, who has struggled to live up to the hype that accompanied his impressive 40-yard dash.”
It’s certainly an interesting direction for the Bengals to go in a redraft. There’s no question Williams is one of the better, rangy safeties in the NFL today and the Bengals could’ve used him.
But also interesting is the fact this redraft still had Myles Garrett on the board for the Bengals. The thought of him with Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap is…intriguing, to say the very least.
As for Ross, he played three games as a rookie, quietly scored seven times as a sophomore while used as an elite redzone weapon, then at one point led the NFL in receiving before landing on 506 yards and three scores over eight games last season.
If Ross can stay healthy, there’s an outside chance some of the flashes he showed last year with a new head coach translates into at least No. 2 wideout potential. A rookie passer might be able to help. And if he does, future redrafts might just keep him at No. 9.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross is back on the injury report one game removed from his return.
This time, Ross listed as a limited participant for Wednesday’s practice as the team preps to take on the New England Patriots in Cincinnati over the weekend.
Ross had just made his return to the team the week prior, catching two of his three targets for 28 yards in a loss to the Cleveland Browns.
While Ross did technically participate in the open portion of practice, it’s a little concerning he’s listed with anything at all. When guys like Geno Atkins and Tyler Eifert get rest days on Wednesdays, the team doesn’t list anything.
It’s now a matter of the waiting game over the next two days to see if Ross progresses or remains limited. With A.J. Green still out, the Andy Dalton-led offense could use his speed to keep defenses in check.
The NFL playoffs are starting to come into focus and regardless of any protests, the NFC East will be allowed to advance a team. It’s money time right now in the NFL and in fantasy football. Here are a few thoughts on a Friday.
Jesper Horsted – The Bears are running through tight ends with Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen both on injured reserve, and Ben Braunecker out with a concussion. That gave both Horster and J.P. Holtz a chance to show what they could do. Holtz led the Bears with 56 yards on three catches while Horsted offered four receptions for 36 yards. Horsted caught one pass last week which was an 18-yard touchdown in Detroit. Holtz only had two career catches coming into last night. Both were undrafted players called up from the practice squad. Their success was more of a function of the Cowboys’ poor play worsened when LB Leighton Vander Esch missed the game. That could mean good things for the Rams this week.
Eli Manning – Daniel Jones is out with an ankle injury though some speculate that it is an attempt to allow Manning to have a Goodbye Tour. They probably owe him that. And Week 14 provides a chance to play the Eagles weak secondary that ranks No. 29 versus wideouts. Plus Golden Tate should be cleared from his concussion and Evan Engram is trending towards playing. He’d have a full complement of receivers which Jones has rarely had. If he can hang around until the end, that matches him against the Dolphins and Redskins. For a future HOF’er, that would be a nice way to end. Might even be worth a fantasy start.
Dalvin Cook – He’s had a tremendous third-year and finally remained healthy. Well, until recently. Cook injured his chest back in Week 11 against the Broncos and this was a re-aggravation. He says that he’ll play this week though it could still be painful and could become further aggravated. Fantasy playoffs are on in many leagues and seedings are being finalized in all others. But Cook is going to be risky despite playing against the No. 31 defense versus running backs. Cook already ran for 142 yards and two scores on them in Week 7. Alexander Mattison is too risky to start, but Cook could potentially leave the game early if he hurts or the Vikes have the game in hand. No matter what, Cook has to be healthy for Week 16 versus the Packers.
John Ross – He left after Week 4 with a broken clavicle but he’ll be activated this week and return to face the Browns. He’ll likely be on a pitch count and Week 15 faces the Patriots but at least Week 16 in Miami. Ross started the season with two 100-yard games and three touchdowns in the first two games including 112 yards and a score versus the 49ers in Week 2. He’ll be worth watching since the offense desperately needs help and he’ll dig into Auden Tate’s workload if not replace him again.
Kareem Hunt – Since he returned in Week 10, he’s been the No. 11 running back over the last four weeks. And he’s not even the starter. His role has been fairly consistent with around seven carries and five receptions per game and he averages about 60 total yards per game. His production hasn’t changed Nick Chubb’s workload at all, he’s just given Baker Mayfield an extra pass target. Hunt is a free agent at the end of the year, so this is all just to impress his next employer.
Best Wide Receivers over the last month – There is much movement with wide receivers as the season starts to close and this is worth knowing if only to see who maintains their value and who might have more value next year. These are the PPR fantasy points from Weeks 10 to Week 13.
D.J. Moore, Deebo Samuel, and even Cole Beasley stand out over the past month. It’s also interesting that while Odell Beckham hasn’t gotten on the same page with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry hasn’t had any problem.
John Ross has had his fair share of injuries over the years.
But the Cincinnati Bengals wideout never experienced anything like the one he had recently when he broke the sternoclavicular joint in his chest.
During the recovery process, Ross’ doctor confirmed it could have been life-threatening because the way the broken bone bent back came close to hitting an artery.
“I stopped after that. I didn’t want to pass out,” Ross said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “No matter what artery it was, I knew it was scary … I didn’t want to know anything more after that. I said, as long as you fix me, we’re fine.”
The football perspective always hurt. Ross was in the middle of a breakout season when he went down against Pittsburgh. Some of the old mistakes occurred, but a new staff had let him work through it and he rewarded them by leading the NFL in receiving at one point.
But the bigger point was the severity of the injury. This wasn’t another simple shoulder injury or nagging issue elsewhere. Initially viewed as an unlucky circumstance, it turns out Ross was quite lucky.
Now cleared, Ross aims to get back on the field over the next four games or so and continue to develop. Nobody is likely more excited about it than Ross himself.
Fantasy football waiver wire claims and adds to make ahead of Week 14.
Need a fresh face for your fantasy football roster this week?
It’s never too late for a few extra points to add to your win column. Especially since it could be playoff time now.
Here are seven waiver wire claims to make in fantasy football ahead of Week 14:
Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
QB Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Tannehill has quietly put up three-straight games which have included two touchdown passes in each. Of course, the yards haven’t always been there, limiting his fantasy football value. This week Tannehill’s Titans are on the road, but against the Raiders. They’ve allowed 27 passing touchdowns to date and rank as the No. 24 team defending the pass, allowing an average of 258.2 yards per game. They’re not great.
Perhaps more interesting is the story of Willis, the undrafted talent who was surprisingly an opening-day starter for the Bengals in A.J. Green’s slot.
Willis eventually fell out of favor as Auden Tate rose to the top of the depth chart and it has ultimately culminated in undrafted Stanley Morgan getting more looks as of late.
For now, Willis ends his main-roster tenure with nine catches on 16 targets. The Bengals saw something they really liked with him but had to get him out there earlier than anticipated, so rest assured they’ll look for a way to keep him aboard.
The Cincinnati Bengals provided some mixed injury news coming out of a recent presser from head coach Zac Taylor.
The good news? An Andy Dalton-led offense that just helped secure the team’s first win on the season could be close to getting John Ross back.
On that front, Taylor told the media the following: “He’s been practicing, really, the last two-and-a-half weeks. He’s healthy and ready to go. We’re starting to incorporate him into the game plan.”
Ross was in the middle of a breakout season before his injury, at one point even leading the NFL in receiving yardage. On paper, simply having him back out there could better space the field for Dalton’s other targets.
Unfortunately for Dalton and the offense, it doesn’t sound like first-round pick Jonah Williams will make it back this season.
“I don’t foresee him playing in a game this season, but we’ll see,” Taylor said. “We still have a little more time to sort that out.”
Over the summer, the Bengals had sounded hopeful Williams could make it back by December. At this point, risking his health again doesn’t make a ton of sense even if he’s ready. Practice might be the ceiling for the rookie.
With evaluation now the game of the game, the Bengals getting Ross back is better than nothing as the offseason looms.
