The rookie season of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross has ended before it ever began, with foot surgery done just prior to training camp sending the Clemson University product to injured reserve. The surgery was done to correct a previous surgery done in November while Ross was in his final season with the Tigers.
Ross has NFL level talent, but has struggled to stay healthy at the college level. In three healthy seasons at Clemson, Ross had 158 catches for 2,379 yards and 20 touchdowns. He missed the 2020 season following spine and neck surgery, then missed the final three games of 2021 with the aforementioned foot injury. He signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in May.
As Chiefs rookies and quarterbacks arrived at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph prior to the weekend, head coach Andy Reid spoke with the media:
As the weekend progressed, rookie linebacker Leo Chenal of the University of Wisconsin began to shine as a potential playmaker, although Saturday’s extreme heat caused him to miss the final parts of the practice session:
The Chiefs biggest question mark heading into camp will be attempting to replace the speed and productivity lost by the trade of All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. With Hill departed, Kansas City brought in former Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster, former Packer Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and used a second-round pick on Western Michigan wide receiver Skyy Moore. However, the franchise is hoping for an increase in level of play from veteran Mecole Hardman, a talented University of Georgia product who has had good moments in his pro career, but not quite to the consistency level of a #1 option:
On Tuesday morning, ESPN interviewed Hill concerning his new home in Miami, where he will have a new quarterback in Alabama product Tua Tagovailoa:
In a moment of honesty from the interview, Hill did admit that leaving Kansas City will be difficult for him:
On the defensive side of the football, the Chiefs biggest loss was that of free safety Tyrann Mathieu, who left via free agency, signing with the New Orleans Saints. Justin Reid was signed by Kansas City from the Houston Texans, presumably to replace Mathieu. Other depth pieces in the secondary are second-round pick Bryan Cook, seventh-round pick Nazeeh Johnson, veterans Rashad Fenton and L’Jarius Sneed, first-round pick Trent McDuffied and 22 year-old Josh Williams.
Potential areas of strength are in the linebacking corps and the offensive line. A rebuilt line from a year ago now has valuable experience, with center Creed Humphrey returning for his second year at center:
Former Missouri Tiger Nick Bolton has quickly evolved into a talented leader at linebacker for the Chiefs:
Chiefs players had a day off on Tuesday before the first full team practice slated for Wednesday, which will be open exclusively to Season Ticket Members. Thursday’s practice in St. Joseph, and every practice moving forward, will then be open to the general public.
