Bengals' Lewis blasts rookie Ross: 'He let his teammates down'

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross is in the proverbial doghouse for a perceived lack of effort during Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Ross gave up on a route during the second quarter of the game, and Andy Dalton failed to connect with him as a result.

Head coach Marvin Lewis did not spare the Bengals' first-round pick during his press availability Wednesday.

"John had a play last week we weren't very thrilled with," Lewis said via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "For Andy, against that coverage to throw him that football, he should understand how the quarterback feels about him. That he expects him to be where he needs to be. He let his teammates down. He let me down. He let Andy down."

Ross has struggled throughout his rookie season, failing to record a catch in three games. The Bengals selected Ross ninth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Washington after they were enamored with his blazing speed.

"Maybe that ball is not supposed to go there in that coverage, but if you do it right and run like you can run that ball can go there and it can be a big play for us," Lewis said. "The receiver can't dictate where the ball goes. The quarterback has to make the read and do what he does and throw the ball based on the coverage and his progression. In that case, he chose John. Made a nice throw and put the ball where it needed to be and it ended up from you to me away. Had he been running, likely he catches it."

It remains to be seen whether Ross' snap count will be impacted as a result.

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