Wide receiver John Ross requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, the team that selected him with the ninth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
The NFL Network reported that Ross’ agent, Brad Cicala, has engaged in trade talks with the team, however those conversations are said to have gone nowhere.
Ross was inactive on gamedays for three straight weeks before logging just one snap in the Bengals’ 31-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He has two catches for 17 yards in three games this season.
The 24-year-old has 51 receptions for 733 yards and 10 touchdowns in 27 career games, including 28 catches for 506 yards and three scores last season.
He has played in only half of a possible 54 games due to a variety of injuries, missing 13 games as a rookie, three in 2018 and eight last year. Most recently, Ross broke a sternoclavicular joint in his chest in 2019, an injury that could have been life-threatening after the broken bone came close to hitting an artery.
Ross is in the final year of his rookie deal after Cincinnati declined his fifth-year option prior to this season. He caused a stir before the 2017 draft by breaking Chris Johnson’s NFL combine record by finishing the 40-yard dash in 4.22 seconds.
Tyler Boyd (team-leading 37 receptions, 416 yards) and rookie Tee Higgins (club-best two receiving touchdowns) have been the primary targets of rookie Joe Burrow this season for the Bengals (1-4-1).
