Chiefs WR Justyn Ross must clear key hurdles to earn more playing time
The Kansas City Chiefs spent the entire 2023 NFL offseason hyping up WR Justyn Ross in his first healthy season with the team. The fan-favorite wide receiver made the 53-man roster outright despite the odds being stacked against him. Ross has since failed to see much playing time through the first four weeks of the season. He […]
The Kansas City Chiefs spent the entire 2023 NFL offseason hyping up WR Justyn Ross in his first healthy season with the team.
The fan-favorite wide receiver made the 53-man roster outright despite the odds being stacked against him. Ross has since failed to see much playing time through the first four weeks of the season. He hit a four-game low in snaps during Week 4 against the New York Jets after seeing a high in the blowout against the Chicago Bears a week prior.
It would seem that the 6-foot-4 and 205-pound wide receiver is not as ready as fans felt he was after a standout training camp and preseason. So, what does Ross have to do in order to earn himself more playing time on offense? According to Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, he's already on the right track.
"Just keep doing what he's doing in practice," Nagy said. "Which is working hard and trying to learn the different positions in the offense. We're learning what routes he does well. He's learning what routes he can get better at. Then as coaches and teachers, we've got to develop him and continue to make him be better."
The Chiefs are still in that phase of figuring out how all the pieces they have on offense mesh together as a whole. That includes the 23-year-old Ross, who might as well be a rookie after spending the 2022 NFL season on injured reserve.
It's not just about the learning process for Ross, though. He needs to take advantage of his opportunities, both on the practice field and when they crop up during the games. He's caught one pass on two targets this season.
His last target came early in the Week 3 game against the Bears. While the ball was a little late out of Mahomes' hands, Ross had a chance to make a tough grab on the opening drive, but the pass fell incomplete. He'd go on to play 29 offensive snaps that week, but he wasn't targeted again all game. Those are the types of in-game opportunities that he has yet to take advantage of.
"When you get an opportunity — whenever that is, today, this weekend or five weeks from now — make the most of it," Nagy said. "His attitude has been phenomenal. He's very talented. Let's just keep developing him as coaches."
Having the right attitude is a big part of it moving forward. It'd be easy for Ross to get just as frustrated about his role as the rest of Chiefs Kingdom. Right now, he's keeping his head down and working, which should put him on the path to eventually becoming the contributor that everyone hopes he can be.
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes shoulders blame for early WR struggles
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes shouldered the blame for the team’s struggles at the wide receiver position.
