John Ross injury history and updates
The NY Giants took a flier in free agency, signing former first-round speedster John Ross, hoping to give the wide receiver corps a boost, but Ross has a lengthy injury history he most overcome
The NY Giants clearly saw the value of speedy wide receivers this offseason, and took a flier on former first-round pick John Ross.
Speed is what pushed Ross into the first-round, when he ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.22 seconds at the NFL Combine, back in 2017.
Ross joins a much-improved wide receiving corps, along with the prize of free agency, Kenny Golladay, and the No. 20 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Kadarius Toney. As training camp approaches, Ross is likely the NY Giants’ No. 5 wide receiver on the depth chart, with the possibility of contributing on special teams.
However, staying healthy could be Ross’ biggest hurdle to both making the roster and getting on the field.
“For all of his speed,” a former GM who did extensive work on Ross prior to the 2017 draft tells GMenHQ. “He was undesized and lacked top-end strength. Watching him then, and watching his career, I’d have thought he’d have done better in the NFL at this point. Sometimes guys just don’t pan out, and there are a variety of reasons for that. He was injured, he dealt with a lack of continuity at quarterback, and he went through a coaching change, which sometimes it’s led to coaches not utilizing him properly and not helping him develop to his full potential.”
Through his first four seasons, Ross has caught just 51 of 123 targets for 733 yards and 10 touchdowns, while averaging 14.4 yards per reception.
Just how often does Ross get injured?
John Ross injury history
John Ross foot injury, 2020
Ross was used sparingly during the 2021 season, appearing in just three games and making only one start. When the Cincinnati Bengals’ secondary was depleted by injuries, Ross offered to change positions, but got hurt during practice and suffered a foot injury. Ross was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter.
John Ross Shoulder A/C Joint Sprain, 2019
Ross suffered a shoulder injury when he sprained his A/C joint in Week 4 of the 2019 season, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the bigger concern for Ross was the nearly life-altering setback that he suffered during his rehab process.
"“I stopped after that. I didn’t want to pass out,” Ross said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “No matter what artery it was, I knew it was scary … I didn’t want to know anything more after that. I said, as long as you fix me, we’re fine.”"
Ross missed eight games due to his shoulder injury, and finished with a career-high 28 receptions for 506 yards and three touchdowns.
John Ross knee injuries 2017
While Ross’ speed offered much promise to the Bengals, he suffered a pair of knee injuries as a rookie. Ross’ first injury came during the preseason, holding him out of the regular season opener, and he later suffered another injury that lended him on season-ending injured reserve in Week 13.
Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com, Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL