Player Profile and Personal Life
John Ross is an American football player from Long Beach, California. He is a free-agent wide receiver who last played for the New York Giants.
John Ellis Ross III went to Jordan High School as a cornerback and receiver. ESPN considered him a 4-star recruit. He was the no.49 overall prospect in California.
He went to the University of Washington for college, where he also played football. Ross decided to forgo his senior year to join the 2017 NFL Draft.
| Position | Wide Receiver |
| Height / weight | 1.8 m / 86 kg |
| Born | 27 Nov 1995 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Team History | |
New York Giants
|
2021 |
Cincinnati Bengals
|
2017 - 2020 |
Career
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Ross 9th overall in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He signed a 4-year $17.1 million contract with the Bengals, including a $10.6 million signing bonus.
He made his debut on September 14, 2017, in the Thursday Night Football versus the Houston Texans. The Bengals lost with Ross fumbling his only carry in the game and the first one he made, not to mention making only 12 rushing yards.
Ross’ debut was labeled as “disastrous,” “wasted,” and “disappointing.” Throughout all the following games, he only played twice and made no statistics. He ended his rookie season with a shoulder injury that put him on the injured reserve.
His second regular season in 2018 was much better. Ross made his first professional touchdown in the season opener versus the Indianapolis Colts. Overall, he recorded 21 receptions for 210 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns.
In the 2019 season, Ross showed a remarkable performance during Week 1 with 7 catches for 158 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Ross recorded more receiving yards than his first two seasons during the first his first two games this season.
Unfortunately, he had to be put on an injured reserve due to a shoulder injury. He was activated the next month, on December 2, 2019. Overall, he recorded 28 receptions for 506 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns in 2019.
The Bengals did not use Ross’ fifth-year option in the contract. This made him a free agent by 2021. Before that, the team put him on the reserve/COVID-19 list on August 12. He requested a trade but was not traded before the deadline.
In the end, he was placed on the inactive list before moving on injured reserve due to a foot injury. Ross finished the 2020 season with 2 receptions for 17 yards and zero touchdowns in 3 games.
In 2021, Ross entered a 1-year contract with the New York Giants. He started the season by being put on injured reserve on September 1. The team activated him on October 2 and played for the first time in the Week 4 game.
He recorded 3 catches for 77 yards and 1 touchdown.
Career Highlights
- 2016 – First-Team All-American
- 2016 – First-Team All-Pac-12
- 2016 – AP Pac-12 Player of the Year
