Throughout last season, the Kansas City Chiefs had major issues with their wide receiver corps. It seemed like they couldn’t trust anyone other than Rashee Rice to play, and they couldn’t trust any of the players to consistently catch the ball and/or avoid penalties.
No one has been criticized more for both of these issues than Kadarius Toney. He suffered some hard, untimely falls that arguably cost the Chiefs two regular-season games, and sure enough, he lined up offside on a critical snap against the Bills that took the game-winning touchdown off the board .
Ultimately, despite appearing in 13 games, Toney played only 26 percent of Kansas City’s offensive snaps – only a slight increase from the previous year, when he logged a lower snap rate by 23%. Yet the Chiefs have always expressed confidence in his ability to make plays and have always maintained that they are behind him and want him to be a part of their offense in every way possible.
That continues now this offseason, with general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid rooting for him and particularly praising his talent level.
“He’s probably our most talented player right now,” Veach said, according to ESPN. “It doesn’t do anybody any good unless you stay healthy. But the kid has always worked hard here for us and I know he’s been there with Pat and I think it’s a question for him to stay healthy and I think if he can do that, he can really do a lot of big things in this offense.
“The people around the building love him and he’s the injury bug and hopefully he gets some luck on his side and can stay healthy and be the player he was in Florida and the player we’ve seen in fits and starts here.”
Toney missed significant time due to injuries during his three-year career, appearing in only 32 of a possible 51 regular season games. But he also showed a lot of talent, especially in his first year in New York, but also at times in Kansas City. If the Chiefs can find a way to unleash this talent and keep him on the field, it can take their offense to another level – something they seemed to need at times throughout last season. The most important part of this equation, Reid said, is health.
“Kadarius is arguably one of the most talented guys on the team,” Reid said. “It’s just a matter of staying healthy and being able to stay on the field. I expect him to come back fully fit and ready to go. It’s great that he’s out there, working with Pat and getting the job done, so that’s positive. We like Kadarius. It’s just a matter of having him on the field.
Toney can’t showcase his talent if he isn’t physically capable of playing. If he gets on the field more consistently, he might be able to fix the issues with drops and mental errors. Otherwise, the Chiefs will likely be back in the market for more help at receiver.