John Ross: Trade Target for the Eagles?

John Ross: Trade Target for the Eagles?

Speedster wide receiver John Ross was a top-ten pick in the 2017 NFL Draft for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was supposed to be the high-end compliment that the Bengals sorely needed for A.J. Green. With Tyler Boyd more than fulfilling that role and John Ross turning in two underwhelming seasons, the Bengals may look to trade him. Ross is best known for his NFL record 4.22 40-yard dash at the combine two years ago but hasn’t done much soon. The Eagles showed plenty of interest in him leading up to the draft, and maybe they still think he can produce opposite of Alshon Jeffery.

The Eagles have been looking for that deep threat outside receiver to pair with AJ, swinging and missing on both Torrey Smith and Mike Wallace. Ross is only 24 years old, and having Ertz/Jeffery/Agholor take pressure off of him could help unlock his value. DeSean Jackson also came up as another possible option, but he makes $10 million in 2019 and is 32 years old. Many reclamation projects fail miserably, and if Philly did acquire Ross, there’s a good chance that he would amount to nothing. Maybe it’s smarter to go for a known commodity like DJax, or even swing for the fences on Antonio Brown (highly unlikely).

The Eagles aren’t set at the slot position either; Golden Tate is on the way out and Nelson Agholor’s 9.3 million dollar option is a potential problem. Cap space is the main issue, but Howie Roseman has proven to be adept at making the most out of difficult situations.

Assuming the Eagles bring him in, he can be a great weapon for years if he lives up to his draft billing. If not, the Eagles will misfire yet again on a deep threat WR.

-By: Micah Jimoh