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Calls came in from around the league to Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin Tuesday afternoon about John Ross.
"Fairy tales," Tobin said he told everybody inquiring about trade rumors involving the wide receiver and former first-round pick. Tobin and first-year Bengals head coach Zac Taylor relayed the message to the masses Wednesday at the NFL Combine.
"We have had no discussions internally or externally on John Ross, so I don't know where that came from," Tobin said. "That's out of the ready, fire, aim school of journalism, I guess, but it's fake news I guess maybe is the best way to put that. We have had no discussions and that's not in our future plans."
The rumors originated from an NFL Network report, and, given Ross' two-year tenure marked by injuries and underachieving performance, at least made sense from the outside looking in. Taylor shot down the idea he doesn't have plans for the guy who ran the fastest 40-yard dash in history (4.22) here at the Combine two years ago.
"He's a guy that you can move around and do a lot of different things with," Taylor said. "He's got a very bright future with us, very excited to work with him because I know football is important to him. He's got a lot of traits that we're excited to work with."
The Bengals are an overhauled franchise this offseason. Gone are the head coach and offensive assistants that drafted Ross with the No. 9 overall pick and developed him the past two seasons.
Former coach Marvin Lewis was one of Ross' toughest critics. There was plenty to criticize. Ross appeared in just three games and failed to catch a pass as rookie in 2017 and Lewis didn't hold back his take after Ross slowed down on a play in November against the Titans when he thought the ball wasn't coming his way. Andy Dalton threw it to Ross, and it fell incomplete.
Lewis once again fielded questions about Ross’ effort last season after a Week 4 loss to Carolina where two Dalton passes intended for Ross were intercepted.
"Well he’s got to do a better job on the ball," Lewis said. "He’s just (got to) do the best job, he’s got to finish the play."
But Lewis also backed Ross and maintained publicly that the team would not give up on Ross becoming a consistent threat in the offense.
That didn't exactly happen last season, though Ross tied Tyler Boyd for the team-high with seven touchdown catches. He didn't emerge as a reliable target outside of the red zone, finishing the season with 21 receptions for 210 yards. Despite his world-class speed, Ross' season-long gain was 39 yards and he averaged 10 per catch.
His role as a deep threat was never established, leaving his future fit in flux as Taylor and a new offense move in.
"That will be determined," said Tobin of Ross' role. "We'll have a lot of players that are looking to find their niche and their fit. It won't be just John. John will be one of many looking to carve out the niche they want to carve out for their careers. John's a prideful guy. He works at the game, it means something to him. We're certainly not giving up on him in any way, but it will be a product of how he fits in with what we do and it will be a coaching decision based on his performance, how much he plays and how big of a factor he is for us."
The easy comparison for how Ross will fit into Taylor's plan is Brandin Cooks, the Los Angeles Rams wideout whose frame is similar to Ross' and speed and quickness opens avenues for offensive creativity. Cooks had 80 catches for 1,204 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Taylor worked in the same offensive with Cooks last season. He'll do the same with Ross in 2019. Taylor said he studied Ross' college film when he evaluated prospects as Los Angeles Rams' wide receivers coach in 2017, so he's familiar with his background.
"From what I've heard about John is football is important to him, he's ready and willing so I can't wait to get a chance to work with him firsthand," Taylor said.
As for the perception and relationship between player and franchise moving forward, Tobin said no "damage control" would be necessary with Ross. He said he uses honesty in these situations and had Ross actually been on the trading block the Bengals, as they customarily do with any player in these circumstances, "try to give a heads up to the guy so he's not blindsided."
That, according to Tobin, was never the case with Ross.
"We're not going to give up on him," Tobin said. "There are a lot of flashes almost on a daily basis in practice. He's got to stay healthy and he's got to keep building on his good plays. Confidence will be a huge part, and we'll have a new offensive scheme and we'll see how he transitions, but every receiver is going to have a transition. Every receiver is going to have a learning curve, but no, there's nobody giving up on him yet."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bengals call reports of a potential trade for wide receiver John Ross 'fake news'
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