CINCINNATI -- Bengals wide receiver John Ross returned to the 53-man roster on Tuesday as he was activated off injured reserve.
Ross, the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft, required a minimum absence of eight weeks when put on IR after suffering an injured sternoclavicular joint in the Bengals' Week 4 loss to Pittsburgh.
He was cleared to return to practice on Nov. 13. To make room on the roster, wide receiver Damion Willis was waived by the Bengals for the second time this season.
Before the injury, Ross was in the midst of his best start to an NFL campaign. In four games, he caught 16 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns. He had totaled 210 receiving yards in his previous 16 games with the Bengals.
Cincinnati has been without top receiver A.J. Green for the entire season while he nurses an ankle injury. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Bengals are 23rd in the NFL with 12 completions of 20 or more air yards; Ross had two of those completions in Cincinnati's season opener at Seattle.
"It'll be good to get John back, and he certainly brings a speed element that will be helpful," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday.