Bengals put John Ross on IR, sign Stanley Morgan off practice squad

Apparently, John Ross’ injury is worse than expected.

On Wednesday, the team placed Ross on injured reserve and signed Stanley Morgan from the practice squad. This is brutal news for Ross, who continues to be as injury-prone as an NFL player can be.

Ross, a third-year player, suffered what the team calls a sternoclavicular injury during Monday’s game at Pittsburgh. He had played in all four games for the Bengals this season, with 16 receptions for 328 yards and three scores.

Morgan (6-5, 205), a rookie out of the University of Nebraska, was a college free agent signee of the Bengals in May. He spent four seasons (2015-18) at Nebraska, and left with school records for career receptions (189) and receiving yards (2747). This preseason for the Bengals, he played in two games and totaled seven receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown.

The Bengals have since revealed that Ross’ injury will keep him sidelined for 6-8 weeks, so he could get the IR-return designation at some point. But at this rate, would it be worth doing so since it will be around Week 13 vs. the Jets? Is it worth risking another injury that could compromise his availability for offseason workouts and potentially training camp?

Either way, Ross continues to be the biggest bust of the 2017 NFL Draft. It’s unfortunate, but that’s what happens when you spend a top-10 pick on a receiver who was injury-prone in college.

Hopefully, this allows some of the younger guys like Morgan and Jordan Willis to show they can be good players in this league.