John Ross: NFL’s Forgotten What-If
As of today, July 26th, 2023, John Ross has retired from the NFL. Ross was drafted ninth overall in 2017 by the Cincinnati Bengals. Ross was an electric player coming out of college, he made lots of exciting plays that got a few scouts to pay attention. Ross’s biggest strength was his speed, he set a record for the fastest 40-yard yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine with a 4.22. The record was previously held by Chris Johnson, who ran a 4.24 in 2008.
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Sadly, Ross never took off in the NFL. In his rookie season, he touched the ball only one time and played three games due to injuries. In 2018, he showed improvement by catching seven touchdowns but there was more to come. In 2019, he caught 28 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns. Though he had his most complete year, it’s an understatement to say that he disappointed in his first three seasons. Eventually, his rookie contract expired and the Bengals looked to go in another direction by not bringing him back. In 2021, he signed with the New York Giants but only caught 11 passes for 224 yards and a minimal one touchdown in 10 games played. A majority if not all thought his career was over but in January 2023, there was hope. Ross was picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs for depth. Many thought that if he was going to resurrect his career, it would be with the NFL’s best offense led by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Before even seeing him play in the preseason, he retired at the beginning of training camp at the age of 27.
Ross will always be a what-if for me due to playing for the Bengals and Chiefs and his unique speed. Imagine if Ross developed for the Bengals, he could have been another weapon for that offense with A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. Even if he didn’t live up to his first-round selection, if he was good enough to get another contract he would have been able to play longer with Joe Burrow. Now of course this is all hypothetical, if he did develop I doubt the Bengals would be the team they are now. Still, imagine him even being a decent receiver, that’s just another weapon for Burrow to throw to combined with Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside. Even in Kansas City, there was still a small chance. The Chiefs have a very thin receiver room, especially now with Kadarius Toney injuring himself over the last couple of days. The chances would have been slim to none but Ross would have at least gotten a decent amount of snaps with Mahomes if he made the team. I’m not sure where any receiver would want to be over Kansas City, no one is beating Mahomes right now and he will give you the best chance to be successful on the field. Ross will now be remembered as an NFL Combine legend, at least we always have that to look back on.
