The Kansas City Chiefs have some openings on their offense heading into the 2023 season. Wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman both departed in free agency, signing with the New England Patriots and New York Jets, respectively.

That is a lot of production that went out the door this offseason. Smith-Schuster had 78 total touches offensively and 101 targets, which was second on the team behind tight end Travis Kelce. Hardman had 29 touches in eight games with 34 targets.

Replacing that kind of production is something that the Chiefs have gotten used to. If they were able to not miss a beat after trading away Tyreek Hill, the same will be expected when it comes to replacing Smith-Schuster and Hardman.

Kansas City could dip into free agency and bring in DeAndre Hopkins to fill the void. This is a young group of wide receivers with Marquez Valdes-Scantling being the only one with extensive NFL experience. Behind him are Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney, who will have a chance to break through in Year 2 and Year 3.

The Chiefs are confident in the skill sets of each of those players. They have a good pedigree as Moore was a second-round pick in 2022 and Toney was a first-rounder of the New York Giants in 2021. 

But, there is another young wide receiver that Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football on NFL Network believes is ready to break out in 2023; Justyn Ross. Ross was an undrafted free agent out of Clemson last year and didn’t play a regular season snap, but Schrager believes big things are on the horizon for him.

The biggest thing for Ross in 2023 is going to be health. There is no denying the playmaking ability and skill set that he possesses, but staying on the field has been an issue for him. But, he is someone that has drawn the attention and praise of Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, which can only be seen as a positive.

If he can remain healthy, there is an avenue to playing time for him. There likely isn’t anyone set into a major role in the passing game other than Kelce. Smart money would be on Valdes-Scantling, Moore and Toney being at the top to start things off, but Ross will have the chance to ascend into a bigger role and make good on Schrager’s prediction.