One year ago, Justyn Ross sat in a very familiar spot on the Chiefs roster. Four consecutive offseasons were spent in Kansas City and St. Joseph (for training camp) in an effort to climb the depth chart and make an impact on the Chiefs' offense, furthering a comeback story for a player whose draft stock had fallen so far during his collegiate career.
This spring, however, Ross decided to apply his talents in an entirely different league: the UFL. For Ross, the UFL presented an opportunity to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, providing a rare offseason showcase for NFL hopefuls who want to leverage that playing time into something meaningful at the next level.
So far, Ross is still a free agent, but his efforts haven't gone unnoticed. The Washington Commanders brought Ross in for a visit earlier this week as they survey the available options for wide receiver help.
It's been a long road for Ross, who arrived in Kansas City as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. Early in his tenure at Clemson, Ross was hailed as a future first-round pick, but a rather scary health history (which included spinal fusion surgery) bumped him from draft boards around the league. The Chiefs maintained a healthy belief in Ross even as he spent year after year on the practice squad or injured reserve, but they finally waived him for good last summer.
Ross recently completed his short spring season with the Birmingham Stallions and finished second on the team with 327 receiving yards. He caught 2 touchdowns among his 22 receptions in 9 games. That tape was at least enough to get his foot in the door with Washington for one FA visit. And that's a good sign going forward.
NFL teams will continue to tinker with their rosters over the next few weeks, but the earliest days of training camp will also open doors for a number of players waiting for a chance. Every franchise deals with early player injuries to start the preseason, and rosters are adjusted accordingly. If Ross can prove to be on the radar of at least one front office (or more), the likelihood of receiving a favorable call inviting him into the fold is that much greater.
The lack of an immediate contract for Ross doesn't mean that door is closed. Washington's not going to offer any meaningful opportunity to any new signing right now anyway, as mandatory minicamp finishes up. The next step is training camp for the Commanders or any other team, which means Ross can only hope that he's on the contact list in case of emergency.
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