Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs receiver room has been the most competitive position battle on the Chiefs roster this summer.
Through two preseason games, none of those young playmakers have separated themselves from the pack, whether it’s with good or bad play. But there is one receiver that has played well and superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes believes is “different” than the others:
Second-year wideout Justyn Ross.
Speaking to the media after the 38-10 preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals, Mahomes spoke glowingly about Ross after yet another strong outing for the Clemson product.
“He’s got a lot of talent. We’ve said it, and we’re going to keep throwing him out there and giving him chances,” Mahomes said of Ross during his press conference. “He’s stepped up whenever his name has been called… he’s a different receiver than anyone else (on the roster) in the fact that how big he is, how fluid he is, and how he can catch the football.”
Justyn Ross Played Well Versus Cardinals
Justyn Ross’ first target against the Cardinals came in the first quarter on a third down play when Patrick Mahomes connected with Ross on an outbreaking route. Ross did a great job of faking the inside route, leaving the defensive back behind, catching the football, and working his way up the field for a 12-yard gain.
On 3rd & 3, #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes finds WR Justyn Ross on the outbreaking route for a 12-yard pickup.
“It was a good play. We kind of wanted to get him singled up and see what he can do,” Mahomes said of the third down conversion. “I mean, he’s been making plays happen all of training camp, I think ya’ll have seen that. So we kind of had a slant and return play call (on his 12-yard reception), and there was a lot of trust in him that he could win and he ran a great route, lost the DB (defensive back), caught the ball, got upfield after the catch.”
Ross’ second catch of the day was a six-yard gain in the third quarter courtesy of a pass from veteran Blaine Gabbert.
The second-year receiver had an opportunity in the game to score his second consecutive touchdown of the preseason. Ross ran a route in Arizona’s red zone that left the defensive back in the dust after faking an outbreaking route, but Gabbert overthrew him in the corner as he was wide open in the end zone.
Justyn Ross had ’em beat
Overall, Ross caught 2-of-4 targets for 18 yards against the Cardinals. During the preseason, he has caught 4-of-9 targets for 47 yards and 1 touchdown.
Ross’ stat line might not clearly show it, but his play during training camp and Mahomes’ comments about him explain why — despite having long odds heading into the season — Ross is currently penciled in to make the 53-play roster come September.
That’s remarkable given the hurdles Ross has had to overcome over the last couple of years.
Twitter Reacts to Justyn Ross’ Outing vs. Cardinals
Users on Twitter — which was recently rebranded to “X” — reacted to Justyn Ross’ outing against the Cardinals during the preseason.
“Friendly reminder that prior to dealing with injuries, Justyn Ross was absolutely dominant as a freshman and sophomore at Clemson,” Brandon Olsen of Whole Nine Sports wrote.
“Wanna talk about a player I’m glad is coming back,” another user wrote. “What he did to Alabama in the national championship game you couldn’t convince me he wasn’t destined for stardom.”
“I get some folks said he ‘had issues’ but this dude going undrafted this past year is gonna be a problem for a lot of teams…ESPECIALLY if we works out and has ZERO issues with the Chiefs…” another user wrote.