Pointing out that the Chiefs have a bunch of talent in the WR room is an understatement. To talk about the group, there are four locks, which leaves two roster spots in contention. The locks, in my view, are:

Mecole Hardman
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Skyy Moore

Now for the Rest of the Story

Veteran WR Josh Gordon
Veteran WR Justin Watson
UDFA Justyn Ross – Clemson WR

Justyn Ross

The thing that interests me most about Ross was limited productivity due to the discovered fusion of neck vertebrae(Congenital) and an injury. Ross was an intriguing draft pick for 2022, and analysts had initially viewed Ross as a solid day two draft pick. The season-ending damage in 2021 cut things short for Ross. Still, Ross had 20 TDs, 158 catches, and 2379 yards. In case you don’t see the import of the numbers, to garner that many yards on only 158 receptions mean that Ross was a slick customer when it came to Yards After Catch.

Consider that prior to the problem with his neck being identified along with the injury. When Justyn went undrafted, GM Brett Veach went after him and signed Ross as a UDFA. At the same time, Ross was pursued by other NFL teams, but he chose the Chiefs.

We know from the rookie camp that Ross had show-case skills and played very well from that point through the OTAs. He had a great one-handed grab on the sidelines and trotted back to the LoS for the next turn. Travis Kelce remarked on this, saying hey, man! You just made a heck of a catch–ramp it up and help excite the rest of the guys(or words to that effect). As long as his time is well spent in training camp and he continues to shine, I find it difficult to think he would not make the 53-man roster.

Josh Gordon

A veteran who had outstanding numbers when he broke into the NFL, Gordon is an anomaly due to substance use violations in his early career. What a mixed bag of mystery and player stupidity we see when we look at Gordon, who was drafted by the Browns in 2012. Gordon had a breakout season in 2013 for the Browns and led the NFL in receiving yards while earning him a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro honors.

Gordon then suffered through four straight years of low participation due to suspensions by the NFL for substance abuse. He missed 2015 & 2016 entirely. In 2018 the Browns traded him to the Patriots, but he had to step out of the roster due to further possible full-season suspension actions by the NFL. From there, Gordon was an on suspension/off suspension player through 2021. Gordon applied for reinstatement from NFL suspension in July 2021 and was reinstated in September 2021. He was signed by the Chiefs and was placed on the PS in September.

In October, he was called up to the active roster and made an appearance for the Chiefs. He caught a TD pass in that game. Unfortunately, he contracted Covid-19 and was placed on the Covid Restriction list. Once he was clear of the virus, Gordon was moved once again to the PS.

Gordon was waived this January, and when he cleared waivers, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs.
Thus far, Gordon has had a good showing in the OTAs. We won’t know more until training camp. Some observers contend that he is a lock for the roster. As for myself? I question that such will be the case, but I have been wrong about predictions this early as often as any observer.

Justin Watson

Watson (Pennsylvania) also had a wonderful showing in the OTAs. Apparently, it was far better than QB Patrick Mahomes was anticipating. Mahomes commented on Watson’s speed as well.

Watson was drafted at #144 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 years ago. However, the Bucs chose not to retain him apparently due to his knee injury and Watson slid into Free Agency. The loss of 15 weeks of 2021’s season was the likely determining reason for the Bucs to forego bringing him back for another year. At that point, Brett Veach stepped in a signed him.

Watson never got a career going in Tampa Bay, but he was a solid Special Teams contributor and put up some numbers as a rotational WR. Coming out of Penna, Watson did not have many highlight films against top-level NCAA competition. However, Watson has good football skills, his length is an attribute of desire, and he also recorded time as a return man for special teams. The fact that Watson’s speed caught Mahomes by surprise when Patrick was working out in the off-season with receivers in Texas, tells a bit of a story on behalf of Watson. Watson is a highly intelligent player with good football moxy as well as being a player of the high-quality character. That fit’s the Chief’s persona to a “T.”

We’ll see if he proves out in training camp. Watson has the skillset desired by the Chiefs, but he must show that he is a fit for the Chief’s game speed and has mastered the playbook to earn a spot on the final roster. If he doesn’t, I can see him on the PS until a call-up becomes necessary.

Competition?

I have covered three players that I believe are front-runners for the final two roster spots. First, in 2021, I liked Cornell Powell in 2021, but he didn’t follow through in games. For that matter, Gordon didn’t either. Second, Corey Coleman was signed as a free agent. I have heard nothing about him thus far. Lastly, I want to add Daurice Fountain as a possible contender.

The Competition is going to be fierce. However, unlike others, I see the battle for the final WR roster spot between Gordon and Watson. Why? Because these two both have NFL experience, Gordon, though suffering several seasons of substance abuse, appears to be “Clean finally.” We’ll wait and see on that one. One thing that could boost Watson is his ability to contribute to special teams, plus he surprised QB Patrick Mahomes in the workouts down in Texas. Maybe Watson finds his niche in the Kingdom. I find it challenging to think that Justyn Ross would be exposed on the PS, and I find it challenging to view Gordon as a lock.

David Bell – ArrowheadOne