Chiefs must give Justyn Ross as many snaps as possible in final weeks of 2023

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor

Dec 20, 2023 4:05 PM EST

The Kansas City Chiefs have kept things close to the vest regarding WR Justyn Ross' role as he returns from a long absence due to suspension.

Ross was officially activated to the 53-man roster on Monday after the Chiefs placed WR Skyy Moore on injured reserve with a knee injury. The second-year player missed an extra week with a roster exemption following his six-week suspension, mainly due to conditioning. He hadn't practiced or played football in seven weeks, and Andy Reid felt he needed the extra time to get his sea legs under him.

Fans tend to view Ross' impending return as something that could save what has been an uninspiring Chiefs wide receiver room. Before his suspension, however, Ross wasn't exactly lighting the league on fire. He appeared in seven games and he only once saw more than a single target in a game. In fact, in four of those seven games, he wasn't targeted a single time. A lot of that has to do with opportunity, as he only once played more than 25% of the offensive snaps in a single game.

In all, Ross has just three catches for 34 yards on the season. He also has some nice comments from Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and others from the preseason, but that's not much to hang your hat on.

With the wide receiver group underachieving in Kansas City, the predominant thought from the fanbase is, "Play Justyn Ross! He can't be any worse."

As the team continues to pursue the AFC's No. 1 seed, they'll probably look to tread carefully with some of the personnel decisions. After all, we've seen how inexperience and mistakes can derail this offense.

At the same time, there should be a sense of urgency when it comes to evaluating Ross. The wide receiver room for the Chiefs is on a collision course for a complete offseason teardown outside of a few pieces such as rookie WR Rashee Rice and vet WR Justin Watson. The team needs to see what they have in Ross, and whether he can be a significant part of the future at the position for this team. To find the answer to that question, K.C. needs to give him opportunities within the offense to showcase his ability.

I'm not talking about the expected five-to-ten snaps for Ross in Week 16 against the Raiders as he gets back in the groove. He needs to be on the field for no fewer than 50% of the offensive snaps in the final three games. And look, maybe he's not the bastion of hope that he's been made out to be by Chiefs Kingdom. But if he can simply take advantage of his opportunities more than others have, it'll be worth it.

In some ways, Brett Veach and Andy Reid have already shown what they think of Ross by sticking by him through his off-field issues this season. However, what's the point of sticking your neck out for a player accused of domestic violence if you don't give him a shot to prove his talents?