The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of OTAs as they gear up for the 2025 season. This offseason was about filling in the holes on this team to make another run at the Super Bowl.
OTAs are the first chance that players can come out and impress the coaching staff on the practice field. The Chiefs have their last OTA workouts running from June 10 to June 13, but certain guys are already standing out.
Rookie receiver Jalen Royals was seen making nice plays in practice, including a leaping grab in the back of the end zone. The wide receiver room faced some big injuries last year when Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice went down.
With both guys back for the 2025 season, in addition to Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Royals, that room has much-needed depth. While that is great for Kansas City, that spells bad news for receiver Justyn Ross.
Justyn Ross Is on the Chopping Block
He's been on the team for the last two seasons but hasn't been featured much on the offensive end. Ross has dealt with multiple injuries and even a stint on the Commissioner's Exempt List in 2023. That has led to him logging 20% or fewer in the team snaps during the 2023 & 2024 seasons. In 12 career games, Ross has compiled six catches for 53 yards.
The final portion of Chiefs OTAs is next week, before mandatory minicamp happens from June 17 to June 19.
During a practice on June 4, Ross is seen slipping while doing a drill and gets yelled at by a coach for not hustling.
These little things matter when everyone is fighting for a roster spot. He's heading into his third year with the team, but if he doesn't step his game up over the next couple of weeks, there's a chance the Chiefs move on.
Considering that Royals is already making eye-popping plays, in addition to the rest of the playmakers they have on the team, Ross may find it hard to keep his job for much longer.