Chiefs Kingdom shouldn't expect much from Justyn Ross late in season

If you heard a random section of Chiefs Kingdom cheer unexpectedly early this week, it might have been those Kansas City fans who remain loyal to the idea that Justyn Ross is destined for great things at the NFL level. That's because Ross was finally added back to the active roster after serving out his six-game suspension on the NFL's commissioner exempt list.

The Chiefs were able to welcome back Ross into the fold with an open roster spot that was once occupied by fellow wide receiver Skyy Moore. Moore was placed on injured reserve with a swollen knee on Monday.

The Chiefs have swapped Ross for Skyy Moore on the active roster in Week 16.

Ross began the year as a roster hopeful who'd spent the last 12 months with the Chiefs stashed away on injured reserve himself. Originally an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft, Ross showcased enough potential that the Chiefs kept him around as a long-term project, and he rewarded their belief with a strong enough summer to make it onto the active roster—one of the biggest surprises of the Chiefs preseason.

From there, however, the team stated that they would take things slowly with Ross and that held true once the regular season arrived. Ross caught his only target in Week 1 in a loss to the LIons and then missed his next (and only) target against the Chicago Bears in Week 3. From there, Patrick Mahomes wouldn't look his way again until throwing four his way against the MInnesota Vikings. Ross caught 2 for 28 yards.

At that point, Ross found himself in hot water after getting involved in a domestic dispute in which property was damaged. Ross was charged with misdemeanors for criminal property damage and domestic battery with no priors. The NFL announced a six-game suspension and his season was truncated at that point.

With Ross back, the Chiefs will likely feature him for at least a couple of plays here and there, but remember that he's missed significant time and it's not as if he was a volume target before. The Chiefs are not going force feed him anything, and this is likely another year to evaluate Ross for the long-term for Brett Veach.