Ex-Bengals draft bust eyeing NFL comeback

Mar 3, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington wide receiver John Ross speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The man responsible for the fastest 40 time in NFL history is emerging from the tunnel once again.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports this week that the Kansas City Chiefs have waived wide receiver John Ross from the reserve/retired list. This is because Ross would like to make a return to the NFL and is looking for an opportunity on either an active roster or a practice squad, Garafolo adds.

Ross, still only 28, was the No. 9 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 NFL Draft. He is most famous for the fastest official 40-yard dash time in NFL Combine history (4.22 seconds) but never amounted to much in the league beyond that. Ross had 733 receiving yards and ten TDs over four seasons in Cincinnati but played just 27 total games for them due to injuries. He later made ten mostly forgettable appearances for the New York Giants in 2021 and then joined Kansas City on a reserve/futures contract last January before deciding to retire in June.

While Ross was the victim of some bad injury luck during his career, he also didn’t do himself any favors with his ineffectual performances when healthy. Ross could still provide value as a deep threat if he has any of his trademark speed left, but a practice-squad opportunity might be as good as it gets for him at this point.