Andy Reid reacts to Justyn Ross' first NFL touchdown

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Justyn Ross made his NFL debut Sunday after missing the entirety of his rookie campaign in 2022 with a foot injury.

The undrafted former Clemson standout made an immediate impact in the 26-24 defeat to the New Orleans Saints, hauling in his first touchdown off a pass from quarterback Shane Buechele. His 15-yard score capped off a five-play, 54-yard drive and furthered the hype surrounding Ross this offseason.

Head coach Andy Reid commented on Ross’ performance after the game, detailing what stood out the most.

“That’s a good part of the story,” Reid said, via Arrowhead Pride. “And he came out healthy — that’s a positive thing.”

Reid added he needed to review the tape to get a better feel for what Ross did against New Orleans.

“I want to take a look at the tape,” Reid said. “In general, I thought the guys did a decent job in there. I know he had the touchdown — and that was a good play. As a whole, I’ve got to see all the work that he did.”

Justyn Ross earning praise from Chiefs teammates

Buechele was a bit more open of Ross’ performance, calling it an “awesome” moment for a player making his way back from the injury bug.

“He did a great job of running the route and just executing the play,” Buechele said. “I was happy for him. It was awesome… He did a great job of executing — and both of us being on the same page. It was the reaction after that we were all happy about. Seeing the smile on his face. Seeing all the hard work he’s put in from all his injuries — tough times for him. For him to be out on the field trusting his ability and then just executing on the play, it was awesome. It was good to see.”

If you’re a Clemson fan, you probably remember all the promise Ross showed back in 2018, his freshman year. He caught 46 passes for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. But it was the College Football Playoff semifinals and finals that introduced him to a nation of college football fans. He caught six passes for 148 yards and two long touchdowns in a semifinal rout of Notre Dame. In Clemson’s national title win over Alabama, Ross caught six passes from Trevor Lawrence for 153 yards and a score.

But a back/neck problem curtailed his career at Clemson. He needed surgery to correct a congenital back condition called Klippel-Feil syndrome. That caused him to miss all of 2020. And it still scared away teams during the 2022 scouting process.

Patrick Mahomes certainly is noticing Ross.

“Yeah, he’s had a good one,” Mahomes said of Ross’ training camp performance. “Learning the offense fast, you can tell he’s been in the offense for a year now. Obviously, making big plays, he’s getting more and more involved in those first-team reps. And so a guy that I have a lot of hope for that he can be a really good player in this offense.”