5 players the Cincinnati Bengals should trade before the deadline
3. WR John Ross
Ross was a healthy scratch in Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5, then he played one snap in Week 6. Rookie Tee Higgins has easily usurped him and produced, and even Mike Thomas has been getting more run.
From @gmfb: #Bengals WR John Ross approached the team about a trade recently. The speedster, in the last year of his rookie deal, hasn't been playing much of late and wants a fresh start if that's going to continue being the case. pic.twitter.com/0LbfY9ODb4
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 20, 2020
Ross’ frustration is understandable. But he has done so little since being drafted ninth overall in 2017, 51 catches in 26 games, that he was opened up to being bumped down the depth chart and it has happened.
The second-year coaching regime in Cincinnati has clearly moved on from Ross, and the decision to forego his fifth-year option during the offseason says everything about his future as a Bengal. He is headed for the list of speedster wide receivers (4.2-second 40 at the 2017 Combine) who never panned out due to lack of actual football skills.
But maybe, if even one other team thinks Ross has potential they couldn’t unlock, the Bengals can get a conditional late-round pick for their first-round bust. Ross’ agent reportedly didn’t get far in discussion about a trade. But that isn’t meaningful if the Bengals would take a proverbial “bag of footballs” for him if they’d otherwise just cut him.