5 underachieving free agents SF 49ers could target to bolster roster

No. 1: Wide Receiver John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals

Few epitomize player disappointment and underachievement more than Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross.

Ross, the No. 9 overall pick from the 2017 NFL Draft, received such praise from his blazing-fast 4.22 40-yard time back during his NFL Combine workouts that year. Unfortunately, Ross never put things together on the field. And now with the Bengals developing second-year pro wideout Tee Higgins, there’s little reason to keep Ross around.

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Like Willie Snead, Ross’ would-be presence for the Niners would be experimental and could help round out the depth chart as a gadget weapon.

Unlike Snead, though, Ross is notably younger at 25 years old and has the kind of breakneck speed head coach Kyle Shanahan loves. It’s the kind of field-stretching abilities San Francisco passed on when it traded wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason.

Getting some straight-line speed back on Shanahan’s offense could do a lot of good.

At this point, Ross would be an experiment, and the change of scenery could do him a lot of good, too.

And anything above him being just a training camp body would be a boost from the SF 49ers’ vantage point.