CINCINNATI (AP)The Bengals found a running mate for A.J. Green in the first round of the NFL draft Drew Sample Jersey Womens , passing on several highly-rated defensive players to take speedy receiver John Ross from Washington. For the second time in three years, Cincinnati drafted a player in the first round who is coming off surgery. Ross set an NFL combine record by running a 4.22-second 40-yard dash, and then had surgery for a torn labrum. The Bengals expect him to be ready for the start of the season and ready to make an impact immediately. ”This guy’s role kind of jumps out at you with his speed,” offensive coordinator Ken Zampese said. The last time the Bengals chose a receiver with their first pick was 2011, when they took Green fourth overall. Their offense crumbled last season after Green severely pulled a hamstring and missed six full games and most of one other. The Bengals finished 6-9-1, missing out on the playoffs for the first time in six years. Now they’ve got another receiver who can force defenses to guard against the long pass , something they’ve wanted since receiver Marvin Jones left as a free agent following the 2015 season. ”It kind of balances the other side of the field,” coach Marvin Lewis said. ”When you’re playing against him, people feel his speed.” Two years ago, they took Cedric Ogbuehi with their first overall pick even though he was recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. He missed most of his rookie season and struggled at right tackle last year. The Bengals plan to move him to left tackle and replace Andrew Whitworth. Cornerback William Jackson III missed his rookie season last year with a torn chest muscle. Ross tore the labrum in the fifth game last season but kept playing. He finished with 81 catches for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns. Setting the record for the 40-yard dash at the combine brought him additional notice. Ross had surgery on both knees earlier in his career. ”I think it just got people to realize exactly how fast I am,” Ross said during a conference call. ”I definitely got more attention.” He got the Bengals’ attention late in the draft process. They invited him to Paul Brown Stadium after his surgery, the last team to invite him to get to know the coaching staff. He felt they hit it off right away. ”I got that vibe when I was there,” he said. ”I called my agent and told him how good I felt. I told him, `Don’t be surprised if the phone rings on draft day and it’s the Bengals.”’ The Bengals return their top three receivers from last season – Green, wideout Brandon LaFell and slot receiver Tyler Boyd – along with tight end Tyler Eifert. LaFell finished second in catches and yards to Green, and he signed a two-year deal after the season. ”You say Andy Dalton Jersey , `I can really see (Ross) fitting in with the guys we have,” Zampese said. Cincinnati is still looking to upgrade a defense that had trouble getting pressure on the quarterback, especially in the first half of last season. The Bengals finished with their second-fewest sacks in the last eight years, and they slipped to a middle-of-the-pack defense overall. Lewis said there were several coveted defensive players left at the ninth pick because of how the round worked out, but Ross was too enticing. Lewis said no other team was interested in trading for the ninth spot. The Bengals will look for a pass rusher on the second day of the draft. — There are plenty of Bengals receivers who have a few years under their belt. Can any of them seize this opportunity in Zac Taylor’s offense?" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesCincy Jungle homepageHorizontal - WhiteCincy Junglea Cincinnati Bengals communityFollow Cincy Jungle online:Follow Cincy Jungle on TwitterFollow Cincy Jungle on FacebookFollow Cincy Jungle on InstagramLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchCincy Jungle main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryBengalsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections #BITESIZEFilm RoomRoster Transactions and ContractsOrange & Black InsiderSalary Cap And CBAA.J. Green’s injury leaves opportunity for other Bengals to step upNew,7commentsThere are plenty of Bengals receivers who have a few years under their belt. Can any of them seize this opportunity in Zac Taylor’s offense?EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:A.J. Green’s injury leaves opportunity for other Bengals to step upTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by John Grieshop/Getty ImagesInjuries are a part of football. It is just the hard truth. Players who manage to make it through a full 16-game season are lucky as much as anything else, and even then they have likely accumulated a few minor injuries along the way. “Next man up” is the expression most NFL fans have heard whenever a player goes down. It is rooted in the even older saying “the show must go on.” Now that the Bengals will be without wide receiver A.J. Green for at least 6-8 weeks, it is showtime for some Bengals receivers who have a shot to show what they have in head coach Zac Taylor’s new offense.Where the Bengals sit right now with wide receivers is pretty interesting. Tyler Boyd obviously leads the pack after his breakout season last year, but after that are a bunch of receivers who haven’t exactly shown they can be relied on yet. That isn’t something Boyd is worried about though. He plans on continuing to grow as a No. 1 option as well as a leader.“I felt pretty comfortable in that area. I try to keep everybody around me motivated and confident,” Boyd told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “If they drop the ball or something, it’s cool, bro. You just make the next play. I just want to make sure no one puts their head down. Just continue to go out there and make plays.”“During OTAs A.J. was kind of limited and John was still going through some things. Josh, CC and Alex, a lot of the guys, we’ve been preparing with just us the whole time. Just building our chemistry with Andy. I feel pretty comfortable with Josh and any other guy out there. It’s hard to fill A.J.’s shoes, but if we can get guys like Josh to continue to make plays like he’s doing, I believe we’ll be fine.”John Ross was a first-round pick in 2017 A.J. Green Jersey , but injuries have played a large part in him not producing as much as you’d hope. He has missed the first two days of practice with tightness, which has opened up opportunities for receivers behind him on the depth chart.Alex Erickson is one of those guys. He may not be lining up in Green’s position, but without Ross at practice, he likely will get all the snaps as a slot receiver as he can handle. The coaches were already excited about Erickson as a receiver before training camp, and now Erickson can’t help but glow about the design of the new offense.“There are all kinds of things we do in the run game and everyone is asked to do that. Not just one or two positions, it’s all three,” Erickson said. “Guys are moving all over with condensed splits, wide splits, motion, jet sweeps, faking jet sweeps, everyone is really involved in the blocking scheme. We’re really involved in everything.”Then there is special teamer Cody Core, who had a decent shot last season at proving his abilities after taking plenty of snaps following Green’s injury last season. He was also limited by Jeff Driskel at quarterback. This is a fresh start in a new offense for Core though, and his receiver’s coach, Bob Bicknell, is excited to see what he can do.“Cody does lot of good things,” Bicknell said. “He’s good on special teams. He ran an unbelievable route on a deep one today. He can run Michael Jordan Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , he’s big, he just has to catch it more consistently in games and all that. I like what he’s been doing.”One player who could use a fresh offense is also Josh Malone. He was a fourth-round pick in 2017, and due to being buried on the depth chart as well as injuries has been limited to only seven catches in his two years with Cincinnati. He has made it hard for coaches not to notice him so far though, and if he can make a leap forward in his game this season, it could go a long way in helping the Bengals getting through Green’s time off the field.“The reality of it is he had some injuries,” Bicknell said of Malone’s career so far. “He had some things that happened to him, which just happens in this league, that’s part of the deal. I felt like there are a lot of things he’s done well. Coming back both in the offseason and during the preseason he’s done a really good job. He’s one of those guys who gets a bunch of reps now and every day we hopefully every day we keep seeing the progression.”Many may limit this opportunity to only these players, but Taylor isn’t counting out his undrafted rookies to make an impact early in their careers. Damion Willis has made some early noise in camp, so he may be someone to watch out for moving forward. With a new head coach in place, it wouldn’t be shocking that the decision to ride the hot hand into the season exists for a player like Willis. It will be important for him to have a successful preseason if he wants to have a chance at that though.Also we can’t forget to mention Auden Tate. The second-year player made plenty of noise by showing up in crazy good shape. You can see him come onto screen here (no. 19 obviously) while the Bengals showed off a pass to Tyler Eifert.The reality is multiple receivers will be used to try and fill Green’s role during however long his absence is. Even though none of these guys have had extensive success during the regular season, sometimes all it takes is getting the shot to prove yourself. Fans should get used to these players being rotated as the team tries to get a solid plan on how and when to use each receiver going forward. If there is any positive to take away from Green’s injury, it is that now the Bengals will know exactly what they have at the receiver position.