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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles signed veteran wide receiver John Ross to a one-year deal Thursday, the team announced.
Ross, 28, has not played in an NFL game since 2021 and announced his retirement in 2023. He participated in the Eagles’ rookie minicamp earlier this month on a tryout basis and did enough to earn another NFL contract.
It’s another twist in a career that has been full of them. Ross was selected ninth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 draft after racking up over 1,100 receiving yards and a Pac-12-leading 19 touchdowns for Washington the season prior. He was considered the top receiver in the draft by some within the Eagles organization but was off the board before they got on the clock at No. 14, where they ended up taking defensive end Derek Barnett.
Ross, who ran a then-record-breaking 4.22-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, dealt with a litany of injuries on the pro level that limited him to an average of seven games played over his first four seasons. His best year came in 2019 when he caught 28 balls for 506 yards in 11 games.
He joined the New York Giants in 2021 and had 11 catches for 224 yards in 10 games. He signed a futures deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2023 before announcing his retirement later that year.
Ross has a chance to complete the comeback story in Philadelphia. The Eagles have one of the best receiver tandems in football in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith but the room is unsettled after that. One of the candidates for the No. 3 receiving role, DeVante Parker, retired earlier this week.
Ross will be competing with Parris Campbell, rookie Ainias Smith and others for a roster spot and playing time this offseason.