Justyn Ross has excelled in one area at Chiefs training camp, but is it enough to make the 53-man roster?
A year ago if you held a vote during training camp, Kansas City Chiefs fans probably would have voted Justyn Ross as the most likely receiver to succeed during the upcoming season. He appeared to be building a crazy connection with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, but off-the-field issues and an ensuing suspension seemed to derail any progress […]
A year ago if you held a vote during training camp, Kansas City Chiefs fans probably would have voted Justyn Ross as the most likely receiver to succeed during the upcoming season.
He appeared to be building a crazy connection with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, but off-the-field issues and an ensuing suspension seemed to derail any progress that he made. He missed several games and finished the 2023 NFL season with just six receptions for 53 yards in a season where the team was desperate for production from their wide receiver room.
It didn't take long for Ross to begin standing out again this offseason. He had a highlight-reel grab during mandatory minicamp that reminded people of the hype from a season ago. He's continued to put together several standout plays during practice, showcasing his lengthy 6-foot-4 frame.
"Justyn (Ross) is making plays," Chiefs OC Matt Nagy said on Tuesday. "He's out there. He made a great catch there, down the sideline. Again, just continuing to grow. Not making the same mistake twice. I love his attitude. He's been very involved and really enjoying his process."
Ross followed up the sideline grab on Tuesday over Jaylen Watson with this grab over Kelvin Joseph on Wednesday.
Chiefs WR coach Connor Embree told reporters on Wednesday that he challenged WR Justyn Ross coming into this year.
"Justyn Ross, he's really picked up his game," Embree said. "And then what I asked him to do is pretty much dominate jump balls and then the red zone. And I think he's been doing that. He's a big-body receiver, and he needs to play that way."
At times last year, maybe he wasn't playing up to his physicality and that was a problem. That doesn't appear to be a problem in 2024, and that's certainly a good thing. But what else does he need to do besides excel at the jump ball and in red zone? According to Embree, it's a matter of three things.
"Yeah, just be consistent, show up every day, and work hard," Embree said.
A few things aren't helping Justyn Ross' case for the Chiefs' 53-man roster
Some things are working against Ross as he vies for a spot on the Chiefs' 53-man roster this year.
The first is rather simple. The Chiefs' offense is predicated on space. It needs players who create space through separation, but also players who find the open spaces on the field through scheme or improvisation. Those skills just don't suit Ross as a player. He's not a separator. He wins in the absence of space, hence all the contested and high-point catches you'll see from him. It's a great skill to have in most cases, but it's not a skill that is predominant in the Chiefs' offense. Rarely, will you see Patrick Mahomes throw up a prayer to a covered receiver. People see his height and weight and think, "He's different. That gives him an advantage." I'm not so sure that does, outside of being someone who can give certain looks for the defense on the scout team.
Another thing to consider here is that Ross hasn't exactly shown a connection with Mahomes during training camp. Go back and check out the majority of the highlights of Ross from practice. Outside of a lone practice day where Ross was working with the first-team offense in red zone drills, he has mostly been working with Carson Wentz and the second-team offense during 11-on-11 as training camp has progressed. It feels like there's a reason for that.
Another potential problem here is that Ross' skill set is a bit redundant with another player on the team. I noted in one of my training camp observation pieces that rookie TE Jared Wiley has been used on some of the same red zone right corner fade routes when aligned out wide. He didn't excel there early on, but he's improved in the red zone as training camp has gone on.
The final thing that isn't helping his case is special teams. Ross played just three special teams snaps in preseason Week 1. At training camp, I often saw him working kickoff return as a return specialist, but the results weren't exactly encouraging. He hasn't proven to be a bad special teams player, but he doesn't particularly excel there either. When you're making a roster as a fifth, sixth, or seventh receiver, you simply have to be a good and multi-faceted special teams player. Ross is not that, and that's going to hurt him, no matter how good he is at hauling in contested catches.
No one has run away with the starting kick and punt return jobs yet, which also might work against Ross. The injury to Hollywood Brown means that Xavier Worthy might be taken off of punt returns. If we're to believe the Chiefs' depth chart Nikko Remigio is the team's starting kick returner and Mecole Hardman is next in line for punt returns. That fact alone could push Ross off the 53-man roster in a situation where the team keeps seven receivers.
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