The Kansas City Chiefs are poised to make another Super Bowl run in 2023. With the draft and most of NFL free agency now behind us, we have a pretty good idea of how this team will look this coming season. There are players like Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones that we already know will be stars, but there are also opportunities for other players to make or break their careers in KC.
The five players on this list could all prove to be key parts of another Super Bowl-winning team, but there is also an equally likely scenario where all five could be seen as complete failures this season. Their ranking on this list is based on how big of an impact their “boom” or “bust” would have on the Chiefs’ season. So let’s kick things off with a low-risk investment that is still the embodiment of a boom or bust player.
5. Justyn Ross, WR
Every year or two there is an undrafted player that becomes a fan favorite in Chiefs Kingdom. With this status comes pretty unrealistic expectations. There is no question that Justyn Ross is currently that player for most fans. While there are undrafted players that make the roster almost every year, the number of them that go on to become difference-making players is very small and most of them aren’t trying to overcome career-threatening injury issues like Ross is.
Ross was born with a congenital fusion in his spine called Klippel-Feil syndrome. A condition that caused many doctors to advise him that he should never play football again. He found a doctor to perform surgery to correct the condition back in 2020 and three years later he is still trying to regain his full football prowess. So Ross has an even bigger obstacle that he is trying to overcome than most undrafted players. However, what he has going for him that most undrafted players don’t is that at one time he was viewed as an elite NFL prospect.
Before his spinal condition was found, Ross looked like a future 1st round draft pick following his first two seasons at Clemson. Ross has provided a few workout clips that have raised fans’ expectations, but a foot injury (and surgery) kept him out all of last season. If you were a betting fan, the smart money says that Ross will probably not ever make it in the NFL. After all, even healthy first-round picks bust, so Ross’ talent upside simply may not be enough to overcome the obstacles.
That having been said, if Ross is going to make it in the NFL, the path to do so is laid out perfectly for him in Kansas City this season. They have a high-powered passing attack and a wide-open wide receiver depth chart. Even more intriguing is that the loss of JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason has provided an opening for a possession receiver. Is there a world where Ross hits his “boom” upside, lives up to his talent, and claims a role in KC’s wide receiver group this season? Yes, but he’ll have to overcome the odds that say his “bust” scenario of not making the team at all is much more likely.
Ross is the first of a few different wide receivers on this list, but before we go to another receiver let’s talk about the biggest boom-or-bust player on KC’s defense.