Cincinnati Bengals: 3 Reactions to John Ross trade rumors

Speed Is Only Worth So Much

The logic which brought Ross to Cincinnati was a familiar folly which has plagued countless teams throughout the history of the league: the pursuit of speed. Having players who can outrun their opposition is perhaps the singularly most impactful advantage in the entire sport; at a position like wide receiver, it may be at the height of its value.

Here’s the problem: speed and speed alone is not enough. Look back at the players who have produced the fastest 40-yard dash times over the years, and we see a startling trend of those guys having little to offer beyond running quickly.

Here are the players who’ve posted the fastest 40 at the combine each season since 2006 (backslashes where there were ties): Chad Jackson, Yamon Figurs, DeSean Jackson, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford, Edmond Gates/Ricardo Lockette, Travis Benjamin/Stephen Hill/Chris Owusu, Marquise Goodwin, Brandin Cooks, J.J. Nelson, Will Fuller, John Ross and D.J. Chark.

That list has plenty of speed (nobody listed posted less than a 4.37-second 40 time), but ultimately little in terms of production. Among that list, DeSean Jackson has been a star, but second is a colossal drop to either Cooks or Benjamin.

Past them, we mostly see a disappointing assortment of major busts (Chad Jackson, Heyward-Bey), backups (Ford, Nelson), and guys who are nothing more than forgotten anecdotes in the history of a league which has been around for over a century.

These guys all had the speed to make a difference, but so few ever had enough to offer in terms of other skills to complement their main advantage. They can move quicker than their opponents all they want, but it turns out running crisp routes, understanding the playbook, anticipating reactions from defenders, and actually catching the ball matter a great deal in the equation of a successful play as well, and it turns out that the players who have speed as their calling card have a long history of not transforming themselves into more than an easily-identifiable one-trick pony.

To this point, it’d be hard to say Ross has been anything more than that. Whether the onus should fall entirely on his shoulders is debatable (Lewis’ waning years in charge weren’t exactly an inspiring coaching display, and it isn’t as if Andy Dalton would ever be considered a consistent purveyor of the deep ball), but history appears to be a noteworthy indicator that he was never going to turn into the sort of complete player who would truly warrant being selected in the top ten of a given draft.