John Ross' time away from Bengals camp appears to be ending.
The Bengals speedster is on his way back from California to rejoin the team, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. Ross had left the team to care for his son and the mother of his son, who had each tested positive for COVID-19.
Because of his exposure to his COVID-positive family members, Ross is on the Bengals' reserve/COVID-19 list. If Ross started his COVID-19 testing Thursday, he could rejoin the team officially as soon as Saturday, Garafolo added.
Teammate Tyler Boyd expressed support for Ross both privately and when recently speaking with team writer Geoff Hobson.
"We were just texting. I didn't really want to call and just hear his voice because I didn't want him to feel down on himself," Boyd said. "I just want him to take his time. I know he's strong and he's going to be able to provide for his family and things like that, but I know a lot of guys was hitting him and reaching out to him. We were texting a couple times back and forth and I just wanted him to just be with his family and just worry about it [football] whenever things start to get better."
Ross' timetable for return isn't entirely known, other than that it is very soon. Before he left, Ross was taking reps with the first-team offense alongside Bengals receivers A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd.
Ross is entering a pivotal season in his career in which he'll need to prove he's worth a contract extension after failing to live up to his first-round expectations to this point. With the second-round selection of Clemson wideout Tee Higgins in April considered, time is of the essence for the former Washington Husky.
