Future of Justyn Ross Adds Another Question for Chiefs’ WR Room

The Kansas City Chiefs' wide receiver room seems to be an ever-evolving game of musical chairs. With a Week 15 game against the New England Patriots on the horizon, the music has yet to stop playing. 

The depth the team perceived as a benefit coming into the season has just made things murkier throughout the year. Several players have fluctuated in workload and availability in the three-plus months of football dating back to September, with few of them managing to make a serious impact. Things may not stabilize in the coming weeks, either, as Mecole Hardman will be eligible to come off the injured reserve list and return to practice in the somewhat near future. He isn't even the most intriguing part of the equation, however.

What about Justyn Ross? The 2022 undrafted free agent pickup broke camp with the team this year and made the initial 53-man roster but recorded just three receptions for 34 yards in his first seven games. Primarily a package-specific player, the Chiefs were open about his need to continue developing during the season. He hasn't played since Week 7 due to an arrest that led to him being placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List and then finishing off a suspension to conclude Week 14. Ross practiced with the team this week, although head coach Andy Reid indicated the team would continue using its temporary roster exemption on him for this weekend's game. 

"Yeah, so he falls in that exempt area for this week," Reid said. "If we're going to do something, we'll do it next week."

Since Reid's comments, the Chiefs have officially ruled Ross out for Sunday's game. The 24-year-old wideout, per Reid, ran scout team reps during practice this week and "did a nice job" in the process. It's likely that if Ross is going to get the chance to play on game days, that activation and corresponding roster move would come before next weekend's game against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Should it, though?

On one hand, Ross is different than many of the current bodies in the Kansas City wide receiver room. Standing nearly 6-foot-4 and weighing somewhere in the neighborhood of 210 pounds, the former Clemson Tigers standout can serve as a ball-winner that opposing defenses must account for when he's on the field. There's also an argument to be made that turning to him could inject fresh blood into the Chiefs' wideout corps and give opponents something relatively unknown to scheme against.

That's a downside, too: Ross is still a relative unknown. While his blend of size and athleticism is nice, he had trouble consistently getting on the field before the arrest and suspension. Despite quarterback Patrick Mahomes being a fan of his and the club making an effort to invest in his progression, things weren't clicking. He also had questions about consistency with catching and executing more than one role in the offense. He was rough around the edges the last time he played in a game. 

While Ross was out of the lineup, Kansas City had no choice but to move on without him. How realistic is it that amid four must-win games to close the regular season, the Chiefs will be interested in extending opportunities to someone who wasn't making an impact weeks ago? That same sentiment could be echoed regarding Hardman, but his speed is a true trump card and he has years of experience in the system. Ross doesn't, and his trump card is more difficult to get involved in Reid's system on the fly (and in general). 

Atop the Chiefs' wideout rotation, the duo of Rashee Rice and Justin Watson appears to be pretty much set in stone. Behind them, the trio of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney will see the field at varying clips. Richie James is also back and healthy. Even independent of Hardman, is there room for Ross on the field? Is that trade-off worth it? Those questions now find themselves added to the top of what's been a pile of them at wide receiver this year. Only the Chiefs have the answers, whether they're good ones or not.