As the 2025 NFL offseason continues, the Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for training camp in St. Joseph, MO. Prior to the team reporting, however, one player is no longer a part of the roster.
Per the NFL’s daily transaction wire and personnel notice, the Chiefs have waived wide receiver Justyn Ross. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media announced the move via a post on X, adding that Ross “asked for his release last week.”
https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1945588038630854740
Chiefs End Justyn Ross Era Before Start of Training Camp
This July 15 news marks another step in what’s been a tumultuous football journey for Ross. Once a star at Clemson, Ross broke onto the scene as a freshman back in 2018 by hauling in 46 passes for 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns. He finished his collegiate career with 158 snags for 2,379 yards and 20 scores but went undrafted in 2022 due to medical concerns.
Fortunately for Ross, Kansas City felt good enough about his injury history to take a chance on him as UDFA. He played in 12 games for the Chiefs across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. On 150 offensive snaps, Ross recorded 6 catches on 12 targets for 53 yards. He has yet to score a touchdown in the NFL.
In December of 2023, Ross was issued a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The games he’d already missed while on the commissioner’s exempt list counted against that total. Ross was cut in August of the last year at roster cutdowns but eventually returned on a practice squad basis.
Ross, waived “no recall” as all such moves were on Wednesday, has two accrued seasons on his resume. Teams have until 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 17 to put in a waiver claim for him.
How Kansas City’s Wide Receiver Room Looks Without Ross
With Ross hoping to latch on with another squad, the Chiefs’ wide receiver room still has plenty of depth. At the top, the trio of Rashee Rice, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Xavier Worthy is set in stone. Rice is attempting to be a top-flight option after returning from an injury, and Brown is looking to get acclimated after a failed late-season attempt at doing so last year. Worthy may be primed for a year-two breakout.
Behind those three, it seems that veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie Jalen Royals will occupy spots on the depth chart. The former is a reliable weapon on offense and the latter offers plenty of intrigue despite being a Day 3 NFL Draft pick in April.
The wild-cards of the receiver group begin after Royals, most likely. 2022 draft pick Skyy Moore headlines that unit, but his spot is far from safe. The next three candidates fighting for roster positioning are Tyquan Thornton, Nikko Remigio and Elijhah Badger. Thornton is a speedy former second-round pick looking to find a long-term home, Remigio is a beloved Chiefs special-teamer and Badger is an exciting 2025 UDFA pickup.
The Chiefs typically like to have at least six wide receivers in their available rotation. Not everyone mentioned will make it to the Week 1 roster, so it’s possible someone either joins the practice squad or finds another team eventually. Training camp and the preseason will sort that out. After a year filled with wideout injuries, Kansas City is hoping for good health in 2025.
For now, that future is slated to be without Ross.
