AJ Green insists any talk of him wanting a trade out of Cincinnati is off-base, but the same cannot be said of another Bengals wide receiver.
John Ross, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, has barely been a part of the Bengals’ plans this season. The speedster has been inactive for multiple games and played just one snap against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The agent representing Ross confirmed to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo this week that Ross has approached the Bengals about a trade.
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 showed some flashes of his big-play ability last year with back-to-back games of 100-plus yards early in the season. He finished the year with just 28 catches, however, and the Bengals have given no indication that they expect him to be a reliable weapon for rookie quarterback Joe Burrow.
There were reports a while back that Cincinnati was shopping Ross in trade talks, though it’s unclear how far those discussions ever went. The former Washington star blew teams away with his speed at the NFL Combine several years ago, but that has not translated well to the NFL. Even if the Bengals do want to trade Ross, the return likely would not be that significant.
