Eagles sign the former fastest player in NFL history and two insiders chime in

They say the NFL Draft is an inexact science. Look no further than John Ross if you need evidence of that theory. He was the ninth player taken during 2017's selection meeting, He landed with the Cincinnati Bengals five spots before the Philadelphia Eagles cast their lot in the Derek Barnett basket.

Neither player became what their respective franchises wanted. Derek plays for the Houston Texans and is inked to a one-year deal. Ross worked out for the Birds during Philly's rookie minicamp, and now an unexpected retirement by a previous roster hopeful may have opened the door to a potential comeback.

As most of you have heard, DeVante Parker opted to hang the cleats up this week. That opened the door for some guys currently on the roster, but it also seemingly leaves Philly a tad thinner in their wide receiver room. As you might expect, the Birds were aggressive in addressing the need.

Philadelphia announced they signed Ross after the second day of OTAs (organized team activities). His addition may cure some of their needs for depth (hopefully), but he has been out of the game for quite some time. Fingers are crossed that the now-28-year-old might surprise us.

NFL insiders seem conflicted on whether or not he can.

In John Ross, the Eagles acquire the former fastest NFL player in NFL history.

4.2 seconds doesn't seem like it is enough time to do anything, but if you run a 4.24-second 40-yard dash at an NFL Combine, you're liable to turn some heads. Former NFL running back Chris Johnson a.k.a. CJ2K did exactly that in 2008. Nine years later, Ross determined it was his turn to make history.

Ross broke Johnson's combine record by running a 4.22-second 40-yard dash. Unfortunately, he strained both calves in the process. That prevented him from competing in other drills. He only ran positional drills at a Washington Huskies Pro Day that followed. He also had surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum

The injury concerns didn't scare the Bengals off, and they made him a top-ten selection. Sadly, however, his pro career has also been marred by injury.

He'd only appear in 27 games with 20 starts during four Bengals season. 51 receptions, 733 receiving yards, and ten TDs was the result. He never played more than 13 games, a benchmark he reached in his second season. He spent the 2021 NFL campaign with the hated New York Giants but only managed 11 receptions and one TD in ten games.

This is probably his last opportunity to make a comeback. Trey Wingo may not believe that there's anything left, but we agree with Ian Rapoport. We see this as being intriguing. If we're being honest, we're kind of pulling for him.

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