FanPost

Who I am most excited to see in 2017

In honor of NFL Hype Week, I’m going to give the fans what they didn’t ask for: my opinion. OK, I’m joking. You obviously at least somewhat care about my opinion. After all, you’re reading this aren’t you?

All of this is to say, I have decided to write about which player I am most excited to see in 2017. Obviously, I am excited to see the team. I love watching A.J. Green bringing in hail marys, Tyler Eifert run routes like a receiver, and Geno Atkins interrupting opposing QB’s rhythm in the backfield. But I like seeing new players don the orange and black for the first time. I want to see Kevin Minter and Carl Lawson in the linebacker position. I want to see if Joe Mixon can fight his way into a starting position out of the backfield. I want to see if Jake Elliott will be an improvement from the disastrous season 2016 was for Bengal’s kickers. But most of all, I want to see John Ross.

Am I interested in Ross because of his combine performance? OK, yeah, you got me. His record breaking 40-yard dash time has piqued my interests (and, John, sorry about that island, bro). Does this mean that he will be a Hall of Fame candidate? Of course not. Does speed give certain players an advantage. Most definitely.

Watching Ross’ college games, he was able to use his speed to turn a broken play into a huge gain. Do a quick YouTube search. He played in all positions and used his speed in a number in different ways. Line him up in the slot, watch him juke out defenders and accumulate yards after the catch. Line him out wide and he will burn defenders and get open deep. Or he can catch corner fade routes. Or contested catches. He can do literally anything the Bengals are going to ask him to do.

If we see him lined up out wide, both he and Green will pose as formidable deep threats. If he is single covered, he is a dangerous downfield target and will most likely get open pretty easily. If he is double covered, then either Green will be single covered or someone in the middle of the field (Eifert, Lafell, or maybe Boyd) will be open. Defenses will not be able to contain that set up.

In the slot, Ross can also be a liability for defenses. He will draw the attention of safties or corners, since linebackers won’t be able to cover him. When this happens, Boyd could play out wide with Green. Both receivers are usually able to highpoint the ball, so single coverage would be a good gamble for Andy Dalton. Otherwise, let Dalton throw to Ross out of the slot and let him use his speed to maneuver down the field.

Other options? Use him in jet sweeps, screens, or even out of the backfield. With no one to take over these duties from Mohammed Sanu last year, the Bengals finally have an extra weapon that defenses have to account for. The way I see it, there is no wrong way to use Ross. At worst, he will divert attention away from Green and Eifert. At best, he will be a receptions and touchdowns machine. Coming off of one the second best season a Washington Huskies receiver has ever had, it would shock me if he didn’t pass 750 yards with 8 TDs. So yeah, bring on the Rossatron!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.