Tag: John Ross

Report: Giants, John Ross agree to terms on one-year deal

The New York Giants have reportedly added wide receiver John Ross.

Just minutes after the New York Giants reportedly inked a contract extension with Leonard Williams, they went right to work in trying to fill other holes on the roster, and more specifically at wide receiver.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Giants and wide receiver John Ross have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million, with $1 million guaranteed.

While Ross isn’t the No. 1 receiver Giants fans have been clamoring for, he is an intriguing player with some upside. Ross is a burner, as evidenced by his record 4.22 40-yard-dash time.

After a quiet rookie season in 2017, Ross improved his yardage totals in each of the next two seasons, with his 2019 mark of 506 yards being his career-high.

However, Ross has been slowed by injuries in the past and was basically exiled by the Bengals in 2020 for reasons unknown. He appeared in only three games despite his insistence that he was healthy.

Now, the once-promising young receiver gets a second chance to show what he can do in the Big Apple.

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10 prove-it deal free agents the Philadelphia Eagles should avoid

10 prove it deal free agents the Philadelphia Eagles should avoid

With a tight salary cap awaiting and the Carson Wentz dead money weighing the ship down, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to be squeezed this offseason in their bid to add talent.

With free agency set to begin on March 17, the Eagles will make some big moves and restructure to free up the necessary cap space to make improvements to their roster.

With the Eagles likely to pursuing some free agents looking for a prove-it deal, here are 10 players they should avoid.

6 potentially inexpensive free agent candidates for the Cardinals

The Cardinals may not have a ton of cap room this offseason – here are six players that could help and not cost a ton of cap space.

The Arizona Cardinals enter the NFL offseason without a lot of money to spend on free agency. They do not have that much cap space. That could change with a few moves, but those may or may not happen, and there are a few holes the Cardinals could look to fill.

Since they might not be able to target many higher-priced free agents, here are some potentially less expensive free agents they could target next month.


Bengals activate Sam Hubbard, send John Ross to IR ahead of showdown with Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals made big roster moves on Saturday.

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The Cincinnati Bengals announced a flurry of roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the wake of the latest John Ross injury, the team shifted the wide receiver to injured reserve. They also sent cornerback Darius Phillips to the same list.

Cincinnati also activated Sam Hubbard from the list after his time off, meaning he’ll be good to go against the Steelers.

The team also announced it elevated the following players from the practice squad:

  • WR Stanley Morgan
  • CB Jalen Davis
  • G Quinton Spain
  • DT Kahlil McKenzie

The Bengals are frighteningly thin at cornerback heading into Sunday due to injuries and a positive COVID-19 test, hence the elevation of Davis. McKenzie comes up due to Geno Atkins’ out classification on the final injury report.

Ross is the most interesting name, as he reportedly suffered an injury in practice this week right after the coaches asked him to help out by playing cornerback.

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Report: John Ross suffered foot injury while taking reps at CB in practice

A new update on the injury status of Cincinnati Bengals WR John Ross.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross has a new foot injury on this week’s report that will keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And he didn’t suffer the injury while practicing at wide receiver.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Ross suffered the injury while playing cornerback at the request of his coaches:

“They go to him this week and say we’re down so many corners, according to sources, that we need you to try to play corner, would you be willing to do that? He said yeah, he was excited…the second play he was practicing at corner, he goes up, comes down, injures his foot.”

It’s a stunning turn of events in the Ross saga. The former No. 9 overall pick had asked the team for a trade because they weren’t using him at wideout. Cincinnati didn’t try much to make that happen.

Fast forward to this week, injuries and positive COVID-19 tests have decimated the corner position after the bye. Ross was reportedly thrilled to help the team by taking practice reps at corner, only for this latest in a long line of injuries to occur.

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After no trade deadline move, Bengals should get John Ross on the field

The Cincinnati Bengals need more from WR John Ross.

In what shouldn’t be a surprise at all, the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t trade wide receiver John Ross in the leadup to Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Ross, sitting on a declined fifth-year option, has eyes for free agency after this season in the wake of asking the team for a trade. He’s been inactive for most of this season and had an “illness” holding him out of practices at points.

Yet realistically, the Bengals should probably get him on the field more.

Admittedly, this is the second coaching staff that has worked with Ross — whether it’s on his skill set, through the injuries and on the mental side of the game — and ultimately said no thanks.

And admittedly, this Zac Taylor-led staff is more than open to any guys playing at any spots. They’ve thrown draft status out the window and mostly put the best guys on the field, so it’s not like Ross hasn’t had his chance.

But we’ve seen glimpses of what Ross can do. That 2018 usage in the redzone where he scored seven times was intriguing. And his blowing past the 500-yard mark last season while averaging 18.1 yards per catch was impressive.

In short, it’s hard not to think of plays like this:

It says quite a bit that coaches don’t seem to want Ross on the field in some capacity. But considering even A.J. Green was having a hard time getting going in a new offense with a new quarterback, maybe Ross just needs longer than anticipated.

Which means it’s important to bring up the subject of special teams. Coaches have surely thought of this too and maybe it has already massively failed. But getting the ball in Ross’ hands as a returner could provide more productivity.

Fourth and fifth options in the base offense like Mike Thomas have shown some sparks too, but remain known commodities. Getting a few Ross-specific gadget plays in there on something like end-arounds, if nothing else, could further diversify the offense.

Is any sort of usage enough to repair the relationship and get Ross — who asked for a trade — to want to stick around long-term? Maybe not, but a 2-5-1 rebuilding season is a ripe for experimentation with an eye on the long-term.

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Report: Bengals aren’t expected to move John Ross before trade deadline

A report says the Cincinnati Bengals won’t trade WR John Ross.

The Cincinnati Bengals won’t trade wide receiver John Ross before today’s NFL trade deadline, according to a new report.

Said report comes from Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who notes the following: “The plan is for Ross to finish out his contract with the Bengals and head into free agency this offseason.”

The development isn’t such a surprise before the deadline this afternoon. As we previously noted, even if the Bengals wanted to move Ross, he has minimal actual trade value.

Ross has been inactive for most of this season and at times sidelined on the injury report with an “illness.” He recently confirmed he requested a trade.

With the Bengals going in another direction after declining Ross’ fifth-year option, barring a last-second trade, he’ll wrap up this season and hit free agency this offseason seeking a fresh start elsewhere.

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John Ross’ trade value for Bengals isn’t much as deadline approaches

A report provides a small update on the John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals trade situation.

The Cincinnati Bengals are going to have a hard time trading wide receiver John Ross.

Ross, like Carlos Dunlap, wants out. He confirmed as much on social media. And normally, a former top-10 product demanding a trade would net some value.

But not with Ross.

A note from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says it all:

“…probably the fastest guy in the league. But nobody really wants him right now. The market’s sort of dried up. He clearly wants to be traded, he’s made that known…it’s not certain that he can help a contending team.” 

Ross has caught just two passes this year and he’s still due some of the $5.5 million cap hit on his contract. The general logic seems to be that if he can’t break through on a team like the Bengals, how could he do it for a contender?

While he’s fast and shown some amazing flashes in the past, Ross hasn’t been able to stay on the field reliably and meshing well with a new offense and quarterback hasn’t seemed to work. On that basis alone, a potential contender looking for a boost via trade is likely to look more for a veteran capable of contributing quickly. It’d help if Ross could put that speed to use as a special teams returner or something, but he’s rarely done so.

Part of this is on the Bengals, as Ross’ usage hasn’t always been consistent and his rookie year was seemingly derailed by a coach who didn’t want to use him. But it’s hard to imagine an offensive-minded staff, let alone a quarterback like Joe Burrow, wouldn’t want Ross on the field if he was capable of helping.

Barring a shocker right at the deadline, Ross is likely destined for free agency next offseason, where he’ll get a prove-it deal and the fresh start he wants.

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Comments from John Ross further prove Washington should pursue trade

The Bengals young receiver has made it very clear he wants out of Cincinnati, and Washington needs to do everything they can to get him.

The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching, and it’s clear that there are some players around the league who are unhappy with their current situation. Among them is John Ross, a speedy wide receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals who has been surprisingly overlooked in the offense.

Ross has made his desires for a trade known, but it was taken to a new level this past week when he went on Twitter and laid it all out on the line, expressing his frustration with the team and claiming that he just wishes to go somewhere that he’s wanted, and somewhere that he can play.

This should hopefully get things in gear for the Washington Football Team, who is in desperate need of a wide receiver to help get this roster to the next level. We’ve been positing for weeks if there was a player that fits Washington’s needs, and it seems that Ross checks off a lot of the boxes. A young, extremely quick player on an expiring contract who could add depth to the receiving corps and help to detract the defense’s eyes away from Terry McLaurin. There are a couple of players on the roster that we think Washington should sell before the November 3rd deadline, but in a few cases, it would be extremely beneficial for Washington to buy.

John Ross is one of those exceptions, and something we really want to see in the next few days.

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Bengals’ John Ross speaks out about trade request

Cincinnati Bengals WR John Ross had something to say about his trade request.

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The idea Cincinnati Bengals wideout John Ross has requested a trade away from the team isn’t a secret.

Just ask him.

Ross took to Twitter on Friday and wrote the following:

“It’s not a secret that i have requested a trade. Trade me if this how y’all feel. I’m healthy and eager to play. I know I can be productive. It’s hard to love something when your not actually participating in it. Believe me, its not football that i don’t like.”

The former first-round pick was responding to a report from Fox 19’s Jeremy Rauch that relayed information from the team, namely that Ross isn’t a top-seven wideout and seems disinterested.

Ross’ commentary is a clapback against those ideas. He’s been inactive for most of the season and listed on the injury report in spurts with an “illness.” He’s appeared in just three games and has two catches. New arrivals like Mike Thomas and returners like Alex Erickson have been consistently active over him on gamedays.

This new bit of drama comes on the heels of the Carlos Dunlap saga finally ending and right before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

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