Tyler Boyd empathizes with John Ross, believes Ross is 'unguardable'

Tyler Boyd offered John Ross empathy, believes he's 'unguardable'

CINCINNATI — The Bengals wide receiver room may be one of the deepest in the entire league. 

That depth got tested this week when John Ross was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after his 3-year-old son tested positive for coronavirus. 

Ross left training camp and flew to Los Angeles to help take care of his son. The child's mother also tested positive for COVID-19. 

It's a scary, but very real situation that Ross is going through. He won't be the only NFL player that goes through something like this in 2020.

“It’s tough because he actually lives right across the street from me," Boyd said. "Not seeing him in the morning and being able to see him walking by and things like that — I had reached out to him the next day after I heard and I just told him ‘no matter what, we got your back. However much time you need, we got you. We’ll support you.’ Things like that. Because to me, other than football, he’s my boy. I hang out with him. If we wasn’t on the same team he would still be my guy."

No one knows when Ross will return to the team, but apparently he was turning heads during his time in camp. Boyd, who is known for his optimism, praised the fourth-year wide receiver during Thursday's news conference.

"If we can just keep John (Ross) healthy, he is unguardable," Boyd said. "Nobody can run with him."

Health is a major question mark for Ross, who's played in 24 of a possible 48 games in three NFL seasons. He's entering the final year of his contract.

“Sixteen games and more,” Ross told AllBengals in May when asked about his goals for this season. “January 1, 2020 that’s the first thing I said, ‘make sure you are ready to play 16 games and more this year’ because that has obviously been my biggest my problem.

“My confidence level is through the roof right now. I’m trying to make sure everything that I do is put in place for me to have a successful year."

Hopefully Ross' family is able to fully recover from COVID-19 and he can safely return to the field in the near future. 

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