Last offseason's fan-favorite Chiefs receiver reminding everyone he's still here at mandatory minicamp
At one point in time last offseason, Kansas City Chiefs fans spoke about Justyn Ross like he would be the savior to deliver the team from a bad wide receiver room. A former 2022 undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Ross received a red-shirt year recovering from a foot injury during his rookie campaign. He made […]
At one point in time last offseason, Kansas City Chiefs fans spoke about Justyn Ross like he would be the savior to deliver the team from a bad wide receiver room.
A former 2022 undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Ross received a red-shirt year recovering from a foot injury during his rookie campaign. He made the 53-man roster outright in 2023 after a standout offseason, but he struggled to get involved on the offensive side of the ball. After being arrested on felony domestic violence charges that were later dismissed, Ross was placed on the commissioner's exempt list. He was later retroactively suspended for a violation of the league's personal conduct policy. That all but derailed his chances to make an impact in 2023, as he only had three receptions for 23 yards before his suspension.
The Chiefs stuck by Ross through his off-field issues and he remains on the roster, but the hype surrounding him has waned significantly. During Wednesday's mandatory minicamp practice, Ross had the type of day that should remind the Chiefs Kingdom of what they initially saw in Ross.
Backup quarterback Carson Wentz twice connected with Ross for touchdowns. Once against second-year cornerback Nic Jones and once against former Dallas Cowboys draft pick Kelvin Joseph.
Check it out:
Now, it's important to note that these practices tend to favor the offenses. Andy Reid refers to them as passing camps for a reason. These are no-contact, padless practice sessions, which don't lend themselves to the physical style of cornerback play that Steve Spagnuolo's scheme often calls for.
While the video above shows Ross working with the second-team offense, he did get some repetitions with the first-team offense during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) over the past three weeks. That said, with the level of competition in the wide receiver room this offseason, Ross is going to need a lot more standout moments throughout training camp and the preseason to beat out the competition and make the 53-man roster again.
What he has going for him? Well, at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he's a different prototype than some of the other receivers the team has. You also might recall these comments from Patrick Mahomes last offseason. . .
“Yeah, I mean, the talent is through the roof,” Mahomes said. “I think anyone can see that. He’s getting better and better. Even though he wasn’t active all year he was in the building and he was able to see the guys and how we do things. Listening and being in the meetings and some of the stuff like that. I’m excited for him, man. To be able to get out there and get the reps in practice, get the little fine details that we like to do in this offense.”
Chiefs DT Chris Jones isn’t thinking about retirement in the slightest and says Travis Kelce shouldn’t either
Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones doesn’t have retirement on his mind and thinks Travis Kelce has several years left.
