The Cincinnati Bengals placed wide receiver John Ross on injured reserve Wednesday with a shoulder injury he suffered Monday night.
The Bengals said Ross injury was specifically to the sternoclavicular joint in his right shoulder.
It is unclear if Ross has a chance to return this season. By rule he must be on injured reserve for eight weeks before the Bengals would be able to designate him to return.
The third-year receiver was knocked out of Cincinnati’s 27-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday night after he was slammed to the turf in the fourth quarter, with his right shoulder sustaining most of the impact. He had three catches on six targets for 36 yards on a night when the offense managed only 175 total yards.
The Bengals’ first-round pick in the 2017 draft is in the midst of his most productive season yet. Through four games, he has 16 catches for 328 yards and three of the team’s five receiving touchdowns.
Ross opened 2019 with two 100-yard receiving performances. However, in the last two games, he and the rest of the Bengals’ offense have been limited. Cincinnati (0-4) is 30th in offensive points per game and 29th in yards per play.
This will be the third straight year Ross will miss multiple games because of injury.
Ross had a shoulder injury in college that required surgery and forced him to miss offseason training program during his rookie year. The issue was cited as he was put on injured reserve for the final four games of the year. In 2018, the former Washington standout missed three games with a groin injury.
With Ross out, the Bengals will be down two starting wide receivers. A.J. Green has not played this season as he recovers from ankle surgery. Green’s timetable to return is still unknown.
The Bengals signed wide receiver Stanley Morgan from their practice squad to fill Ross’ roster spot Wednesday.
ESPN’s Ben Baby contributed to this report.