Bengals wide receiver John Ross said this offseason that there’s a “completely different” energy around the Bengals and there will be another change from the last two seasons as well.
Ross is changing from No. 15 to No. 11 in a move that he said represents his bid to “start everything over” after a disappointing first two years in the NFL. The switch isn’t as simple as just throwing on a new jersey as the NFL requires a player buy out jerseys with the old number before going through with the change. Ross has gone through that process this offseason.
“It’s still crazy,” Ross said, via Paul Dehner of TheAthletic.com. “But it’s something I was passionate about. It’s not like I’m actually buying something that is useless or would throw away. I see it like somebody else purchasing like a diamond chain or something. I’m doing it based off something I really want. It’s actually, I do this for a living. It’s not like it’s a waste of money. It’s all planned out and something I wanted to do.”
Ross’s attempt to reinvent himself on the field will continue in training camp and his ability to see that change through will be more significant than making the jersey switch happen.