Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross has left training camp to deal with a family issue. According to multiple reports, Ross decided to leave the team facilities to take care of his young son, who tested positive for the coronavirus. The NFL Network reported Ross was not at practice on Tuesday and there is no timetable on when he’ll return.
Along with Ross’ son tested positive for COVID-19, the boy’s mother also contracted the coronavirus. The Bengals will likely place Ross on the reserve/COVID-19 list and won’t be able to return to the team until he tests negative multiple times. In the meantime, the Bengals are doing everything they can to keep themselves safe and healthy. As the team goes through training camp, the quarterbacks on the roster are each placed in a separate room during virtual workouts.
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“We keep them apart as best we can right now,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said during a news conference on Tuesday. “Obviously, with the social distancing, we’re going to keep them in different offices so we can limit that interaction over the course of the day.”
Once Ross is able to return to action, he’s looking to build on his start to the 2019 season. Before breaking a bone, which led to him missing eight games, Ross was on pace to have a memorable year, catching 13 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns in his first three games. He finished 2019 with 28 receptions for 506 yards and three scores.
“I want to build off those first three games. Those are the kind of explosive plays that I think I can make for the rest of my career,” Ross said to Bengals.com back in February. “It’s hard to get into Week 14 shape when you’ve been out eight to nine weeks, I don’t care who you are.”
Ross, 24, was drafted by the Bengals No. 9 overall in 2017. He only played in three games during his rookie season due to a knee injury. In 2018, Ross played in 13 games and caught 21 passes for 2010 yards and seven touchdowns. He played college football at Washington and was named to All Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2016 after catching 81 passes for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns.
