With the Cincinnati Bengals holding minicamp this weekend at Paul Brown Stadium, dozens of prospective pro football players are in the same place with different things they need to accomplish.
Take for instance two of the team’s newest wide receivers.
John Ross, the team’s first-round pick out of Washington, is trying to digest a new offense.
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He’s learning how to play multiple positions and getting to know new teammates.
The Long Beach, Calif., native is hoping to learn more about his new city, too, but there will be plenty of time for that later.
Ross has plenty of job security, after all.
Contrast that with Monty Madaris.
An all-state receiver at Moeller High School, he is back in his hometown.
He surely didn’t need a GPS to find PBS.
He couldn’t stifle a smile while talking about his family and friends being here to support him, but the reality is his margin for error is much smaller.
The former four-star recruit started only 11 games in five years at Michigan State, and he is here now as an undrafted rookie free agent.
With few roster spots expected to be truly up for grabs this summer, he faces an uphill climb to win a roster spot (no matter how much Cincinnatians love a hometown hero).
His work here could earn him a job somewhere else, of course, but only one place is home.
Only time will tell if Ross and Madaris share a zip code beyond the end of August, but both sounded raring to go in early May.
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— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) May 5, 2017
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