Giants Country

Giants Designate WR John Ross for Return from IR

New York is ailing at receiver, so John Ross's return would be timely.

Patricia Traina

Giants Designate WR John Ross for Return from IR
Giants Designate WR John Ross for Return from IR /

The New York Giants have designated wide receiver John Ross III for return from the injured reserve list and not a moment too soon.

Receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton both suffered hamstring injuries in Sunday's Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, leaving the Giants thin at receiver.

Ross, the former first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals 9and ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft), signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Giants this past off-season that included a $500,000 signing bonus and $1 million guaranteed.

Unfortunately, he missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury and was moved to injured reserve during the final roster cutdown period where teams had to get from 80 men to 53.

Since wowing scouts at the 2017 NFL combine with an eye-popping 40-time of 4.22, Ross's NFL career has been disappointing, primarily due to injuries. He appeared in 27 games for the Bengals over four seasons and finished with 51 catches for 733 yards and ten touchdowns.

Giants head coach Joe Judge implied that both Shepard and Slayton could be looking at some missed time.

"I think both guys’ (injuries) are really different. I don’t think either one is the same deal," he said Monday.

At the time Judge also hinted that Ross's return from injured reserve could be coming, saying that the team would see where Ross was at health-wise "sooner or later."

Judge also hinted that first-round pick Kadarius Toney, who has been limited in his deployment thus far, and waiver wire pickup Collin Johnson, who filled in for Slayton after his injury, could be in line for more snaps this weekend.

"I was pleased with the progress I saw from Toney and Collin Johnson (Sunday) at the receiver position," Judge said. "Obviously, Kenny (Golladay) was making a lot of plays for us. C.J. Board made some nice plays for us."

The Saints, up next on the Giants' schedule, have allowed 243.7 passing yards per game thus far this season, 15th in the league.

The Giants are tied with the 49ers with seven big pass plays of 20+ yards, the sixth-fewest in the league. The Giants are also one of 12 teams with only one pass play of 40+ yards in three games. 

More from Giants Country

Join the Giants Country Community

Become a premium Fan Nation member and get access to all of Fan Nation’s premium content plus a subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click here for more information or to begin your free 30-day trial.

Published
Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

Home/Transactions