FOXBORO, Mass. – There were symptoms the New England Patriots knew they had on open receiver Devin Ross this low season.
Perhaps the vital and revealing maxim when he kept promising undrafted loose agents like Isaiah Zuber and Will Hastings were cut (but eventually reduced) when the Patriots cut their list from 90 to 80 players last July.
Still, Ross is one of the top marksmen on the Patriots list at education camp. Now it’s a marvel who excels at 3 days in competitive practices while having comfortable hands and breathtaking movements on your itineraries.
Ross attributes the low-season educational program to virtual meetings.
“It helped me a lot to be informed of everything, be informed of everything and be there to play fast, know everything and read the front pages,” Ross said Wednesday on a conference call. “All of this is just a combination and being in the rehearsals is actually helping a lot.”
Ross, a 5-foot-9-inch, 192-pound Colorado receiver, signed with the Patriots practice team last October. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday that Ross might not have been healthy when he signed last season, and that the team never got rid of the practice team to fill the 53-man roster.
Ross, a long-term signatory in January and is now pushing for a position in the camp.
“I was so excited to be able to make a sign and return to this wonderful place,” Ross said. “Last year I enjoyed being in the building. The environment is amazing, the coaches and teammates are amazing. Everyone laughs and laughs with them to rub shoulders. It’s a smart atmosphere, which makes me even more excited to play to make sure I can do everything I can to stay here and laugh at it. It’s a blessing to be able to play football and be here. I like that.”
Ross was one of seven open receivers in Wednesday practice with N’Keal Harry and Jeff Thomas absent and Will Hastings limited. Ross would have probably been looking for opportunities in a general summer with good fitness and a list of 90 players. He has many opportunities for educational camp sessions this summer.
“My receiver coach (Mick Lombardi) commented that every single representative we get is like a currency of passage and I took it very seriously,” Ross said. “I feel it’s a genuine statement. Every time you have the chance to pass out, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get something smart and make a call for yourself and show your apprentices and teammates what you can do. like each and every opportunity to pass out are special to me, so I make sure I spend as much as I can, no matter how I feel. I know it’s a wonderful opportunity and it’s wonderful to pass out in the box and take a look at it to build confidence.”
Ross will continue to compete with Hastings, Harry, Mohamed Sanu, Jakobi Meyers, Damiere Byrd, Gunner Olszewski and Isaiah Zuber for places on the Patriots’ open receiver’s depth table. Ross remains an outsider, however, he has at least a better chance of betting on a role with an impressive start in the summer.