Chiefs take a chance on Ross

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Chiefs are signing former Clemson WR Justyn Ross as an undrafted free agent. Medicals are the big concern with Ross. He had surgery in June 2020 to address a bulging disc and congenital fusion condition in his neck and spine. That cost him the entire 2020 campaign. Ross was medically cleared to return this past August but missed more time in 2021 with a stress fracture in his foot that eventually required surgery. He then disappointed with a 26th percentile Relative Athletic Score at the Combine – although it’s possible that he still wasn’t 100% recovered from the foot surgery. What Ross has going for him is the most impressive freshman season of any WR in this class. He led a 2018 Tigers team that also included WRs Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow and Amari Rodgers with 1,000 receiving yards. Ross ranked 2nd in Pro Football Focus’ 2018 receiving grades among 286 WRs with 50+ targets. He fell behind Higgins in 2019 but still finished with a solid 66-865-8 line. Ross wasn’t a big separator at Clemson but has some of the best ball skills and contested-catch ability in this WR class. That should play at the next level for the 6’4, 205-pounder. Landing in K.C. obviously adds the upside of playing with QB Patrick Mahomes. We'll see how the Chiefs sort out a WR corps that shed Tyreek Hill, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson this offseason, and added JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Corey Coleman.

Clemson HC Dabo Swinney revealed that only 4 NFL teams medically cleared Chiefs WR Justyn Ross. Ross missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing surgery to address a bulging disc and congenital fusion condition in his neck and spine. He was eventually cleared to play at Clemson last year, but it's a reminder that he's a major injury risk moving forward. It's why he went undrafted -- before signing with Kansas City.