Chiefs cut ties with Justyn Ross as WR room becomes too crowded

After a few years of generating preseason and elevating the hopes of fans, the Kansas City Chiefs have given up on the Justyn Ross experiment. The Chiefs placed Ross on waivers on Wednesday, ending his tenure with the team.

Ross was overlooked in the 2022 NFL Draft class, a bit of a surprise for college football fans after watching him burst onto the scene with the Clemson Tigers as a freshman. However, Ross's injury history removed him from the draft boards of most franchises.

Ross requested his release last week, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero. It took some time, but the Chiefs ultimately honored his request.

The Chiefs have waived Justyn Ross just before the start of training camp.

The Chiefs invited Ross to join them as an undrafted free agent, and through that lens, Ross actually had quite a successful NFL career. Most undrafted players don't even make it through training camp, but Ross was able to hang on with the Chiefs in some form for the better part of four years and three full NFL seasons.

That said, casual fans are likely going to refer to Ross's tenure with the Chiefs as a letdown given the hype generated by his arrival in K.C. It's easy to recall his elite performance in the national championship game against Alabama for the Tigers—which included 8 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown as a freshman—and think he should have been a star at the next level.

Unfortunately, injuries robbed Ross of that predicted future. Surgery on his neck and spine kept him from playing during the 2020 season, and injuries would continue to mount thereafter. Even at the pro level, a foot injury cost him his entire rookie season, so Ross was behind developmentally from that point forward as he competed for greater opportunities in K.C.

The Chiefs never wavered in their belief that Ross could be something, but the competition became too great for the team heading into training camp. The return of Rashee Rice from injury, the re-signing of Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the arrival of Jalen Royals in this year's draft class—they've all helped to form one of the deepest WR rooms in recent Chiefs history.

In the end, Ross caught only 6 passes from Patrick Mahomes over the course of three seasons with the Chiefs. Perhaps another team will give him an opportunity, but even if not, Ross should feel proud of having lasted as long as he did given the injury hurdles he faced. It's more than what most players will accomplish in his same position.