[DenverChief]

John Ross -

The short answer: availability. In four seasons as a Bengal, Ross only suited up for 27 of the possible 64 games. As a rookie, he found himself in Marvin Lewis’ doghouse following a fumble on what became his only touch in year one. A knee injury was partially to blame, but a majority of the absences were healthy scratches. Ross entered his second season determined to make a place for himself in the offense. He started ten games, but had a terrible catch rate of 36.2%, leading to only 21 receptions. Interestingly, seven of those 21 catches resulted in a touchdown, giving Ross something to build on going forward.

Year three began to show why Ross was highly-regarded entering the league. In only eight games, Ross recorded career highs in receptions (28) and receiving yards (506). This was highlighted by a monster opening game against the Seattle Seahawks. Ross brought in seven passes for 158 yards and two house calls. He followed that breakout performance up with another 100+ yard game the next week versus San Francisco. Sad to say, injuries reared their ugly head yet again. Ross found himself on the IR from weeks five through 13. After returning from injury, he failed to replicate the same success from the first two games of the season.

COVID and a slew of healthy scratches led to John Ross publicly requesting a trade from the Bengals. The fact that the franchise declined his fifth-year option might be the cause of the rift, but depending on who you ask, Marvin Lewis seems to be the main culprit. Either way, Ross logged only 86 snaps in 2020. The writing was on the wall for both him and the team; a fresh start was needed.

Ross became an unrestricted free agent last offseason, and chose to sign with the New York Football Giants on a cheap, one-year deal, in hopes that he could rebrand his image around the league. It was more of the same for Ross, however. He began the 2021 season on the IR yet again, before appearing in 10 games with the Giants. Ross never saw more than 5 targets in any single game, but did exceed the 70-yard mark in two separate games. Alas, COVID grabbed onto Ross and was a major reason why he didn’t see the field again after week 14.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette -



Jerrion Ealy -



Ty Fryfogle -

Ty Fryfogle was a 4th year breakout expected to have an even bigger impact in his 5th year. Well, that didn’t happen, but there’s a chance it was due to the injury to Michael Penix. Fryfogle isn’t much more than the stereotypical possession receiver. He doesn’t create much separation until the catch point, and has good ball skills, but he isn’t very elusive after the catch. He probably has a WR3 ceiling in the NFL.”

Justyn Ross -