John Ross wouldn’t be a good fit for the Kansas City Chiefs
John Ross wants out of Cincinnati, but the Kansas City Chiefs shouldn’t be the team to trade for him.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes with the No. 10 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. One pick prior, the Cincinnati Bengals took John Ross. It’s safe to say that the Bengals wish they had taken Mahomes instead (though Joe Burrow looks pretty good early on in his rookie season).
Well, now Ross is requesting a trade from the Bengals, so naturally it’s time to look over if the Chiefs would be a fit for Ross or not. Ross was drafted by the Bengals because of how speedy he is and they were hoping to use him in a similar way to how the Chiefs use Tyreek Hill.
Instead, Ross has been a major disappointment, playing in just 27 games through his first three and a half years with Cincinnati. He appeared in only three games as a rookie and had zero receptions and only two targets that year, so it wasn’t off to a great start for Ross and the Bengals. To make matters worse, he’s only had two catches this season for a total of 17 yards.
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
The Kansas City Chiefs shouldn’t trade for John Ross.
Simply put, Ross isn’t a good fit for the Chiefs. They already have two players similar to him in Hill and Mecole Hardman and while Ross is likely a better player than what we saw with Cincinnati, his track record to this point isn’t one that would be good enough to get him somewhere like Kansas City. Ross has battled injuries too, which is another reason to steer clear from the former first round pick.
The Chiefs like speedy receivers, but they’re well covered in that department. Hill is still one of the best receivers in the league and while Hardman hasn’t been as explosive as KC was hoping, he still gives them a speedy option down the field. He’s also been much more effective than that of Ross, but he’s also had a better quarterback throwing to him.
Ross will always be linked to the Chiefs in a way, as he was the player taken right before the Chiefs took Mahomes in 2017, and the Bengals are always going to be reminded of that decision. They took Ross hoping he’d pair nicely with A.J. Green and be their dominant WR2, but instead, he’s had a total of 51 receptions for 733 yards and 10 touchdowns to this point in his career. That’s not what the Bengals had in mind when they drafted the speedster No. 9 overall.
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John Ross deserves a chance to bounce back somewhere, but it doesn’t need to be with the Kansas City Chiefs.