The Kansas City Chiefs have been unlucky when it comes to players’ health in the 2024 NFL season. Early in the year, head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are missing key weapons in offense.
The front office came up with a necessary upgrade before the 2024 NFL trade deadline by landing star wideout DeAndre Hopkins, but the Chiefs went on to add more wide receivers.
And Kansas City is once making moves on its WR room. Shortly before the Week 10 matchup against the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs promoted wide receiver Justyn Ross from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
The 24-year-old was also activated by Reid for the Week 9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the Clemson product playing seven snaps on offense during the 30-24 overtime victory. Mahomes didn’t target him even once, though.
Justyn Ross #8 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after a play during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
An undrafted free agent in 2022, Ross is in his third year with the Chiefs in the NFL. His time in Kansas City saw him celebrate two Super Bowl wins (LVII, LVIII), though his contribution on Reid’s team has been limited to six catches for 53 yards in 11 games played.
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Chiefs’ injuries at WR: Mahomes missing key weapons
Ross’ promotion to the active squad responds to the string of injuries suffered by the Chiefs at WR. Let’s keep in mind that, apart from Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rashee Rice, the team is also missing JuJu Smith-Schuster.
While Brown and Rice have been on Injured Reserve for a while now (Reid seemed to confirm Rice will miss the rest of the season), Smith-Schuster is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the Chiefs’ Week 7 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Additionally, Skyy Moore was also placed on IR with a core muscle injury. This move allowed the Chiefs to make room for Hopkins on the 53-man roster, but it still left them with less depth at the position.
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Another practice squad elevation from the Chiefs
Apart from Ross, the Chiefs have also activated linebacker Cole Christiansen via standard elevation for the Broncos game. This comes shortly after the team cut the 2x Super Bowl champion.
Christiansen played more of the 60% special teams snaps since being activated in September before being waived. The move was made just before the 2024 NFL trade deadline though, so Kansas City immediately re-signed him to the practice squad. Now, he’s back on the active roster.
