Chiefs Rumors: Mike Evans trade, Jawaan Taylor’s costly tell, obvious WR answer
- Jawaan Taylor had a costly tell in Chiefs' Week 1 loss
- Chiefs have a possible WR answer already on the roster
- Could a Mike Evans trade be in order to bolster the WR room?
By Kristen Wong
Chiefs Rumors: Where was Justyn Ross on Thursday night?
Amid talk of Kadarius Toney's and Skyy Moore's poor performances in Week 1, one wide receiver was notably left out of the criticism: Justyn Ross.
Ross, who entered the NFL as an undrafted wide receiver in 2022, caught his first pass on Thursday night but otherwise didn't make much of a contribution. Blame it more on his usage in the Chiefs' offensive scheme.
Ross didn't see his first target until the fourth quarter despite serving as a valuable target during preseason. The Clemson product boasts a large frame and solid pass-catching abilities, making him potentially a worthy candidate to absorb some of Travis Kelce's snaps.
However, compared to his peers, Ross only took six offensive snaps and nine special teams snaps against the Lions.
Justyn Ross — dominated college football when healthy
— Matt Connolly (@MattConnollyOn3) September 8, 2023
Justyn Ross — dominated preseason
Justyn Ross — caught his only target tonight
Justyn Ross — stood on the sideline and watched Chiefs WRs drop pass after pass with the game on the line
Skyy Moore had 45 offensive snaps to Ross' six, and he hardly made a dent on the stat sheet.
It makes sense as to why the Chiefs would want to put their second-round draft pick on the field rather than a former UDFA, yet with the game on the line, Ross could have made the bigger impact -- had he gotten the chance to, anyway.
We'll see if Andy Reid and the Chiefs try to incorporate Ross into the pass-happy offense in later weeks.