4 underachieving free agents the Panthers could gamble on
By Dean Jones
John Ross – WR/CB
- 2020 team – Cincinnati Bengals
It’s hard to put into words just what a disappointment the career of John Ross has been so far. The wide receiver has everything you could want in a productive player but for whatever reason, he has not done enough to convince people he was worthy of the No. 9 overall selection back in 2017.
Ross gained a reputation as one of college football’s most dynamic playmakers during his time at Washington. But he has played in just 27 games over the last four years and this should see the Cincinnati Bengals go in a different direction this offseason.
The Bengals were even contemplating the prospect of moving Ross to cornerback in 2020 before his season was cut short through injury. This sort of willingness to be versatile is something the Carolina Panthers sought heavily in their recruitment process last time out, so providing the player can prove his fitness he might just be worth a flyer at a minimal cost.
Carolina brought back Keith Kirkwood and Brandon Zylstra on one-year deals, with the impending return from injury of undrafted free-agent Omar Bayless another element of the wide receiver depth chart that shouldn’t be overlooked.
If Ross is keen to continue developing his defensive skills, then this makes a ton of sense for the Panthers if he can hit the ground running.