This was originally published at LockedonBengals.com.
John Ross didn’t finish his route on Sunday, which instantly became a trending topic. Is the 2017 No. 9 overall pick a bust? Is he a lost cause? Unfortunately for Ross, this storyline feels all too familiar.
His rookie year was filled with doubt, multiple injuries and more questions than answers. Last season the Bengals were trying to rebound from a 3-5 start when they traveled to Nashville to play the Titans. Andy Dalton went deep to Ross and the rookie stopped his route. He assumed Dalton wasn’t throwing to him. That didn’t sit well with Marvin Lewis.
“For Andy, against that coverage to throw him that football, he should understand how the quarterback feels about him,” Lewis said. “That he expects him to be where he needs to be. He let his teammates down. He let me down. He let Andy down.”
Ross was benched and never caught a pass during his rookie season. He admitted that he began to doubt himself. Let’s fast forward to Sunday in Carolina. Ross stopped on his route, didn’t know where the ball was and it led to a game-deciding interception.
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