Justyn Ross pulls in first NFL touchdown after missing entire 2022 season

The Justyn Ross hype train was already rolling well before the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints Sunday.

It’s safe to say that train has a few more passengers on it after Ross hauled in his first touchdown of the 2023 season off a pass from quarterback Shane Buechele. His 15-yard score capped off a five-play, 54-yard drive and cut the Saints’ lead to 17-13.

Justyn Ross in for 6️⃣

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Signed last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Ross missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign after undergoing foot surgery. Now healthy, Ross is looking to make the 53-man roster of the reigning Super Bowl champions, and has been a standout through training camp thus far.

“Just to take advantage of the opportunity. You never know what the future may bring,” Ross told reporters last week. “But right now, I’m just taking it day-by-day, step-by-step, really.”

Head coach Andy Reid said that Ross has done a “nice job,” and complimented his mindset in becoming a better overall receiver.

“Yeah, he’s doing good. It was a redshirt year he probably didn’t want to have right with the injury,” Reid said. “But he’s done a nice job. He had a good offseason, and then he’s worked his tail off here. He just needs to keep doing that. It’s how you answer the bell every day and push through it, but he’s got the right mindset to do that.”

Justyn Ross flashing high-end skill that stood out at Clemson

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.”