The Kansas City Chiefs acquired Kadarius Toney at the NFL trade deadline, and they will waste no time in putting their big acquisition on the field. According to head coach Andy Reid, Toney should be active for Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans. Toney is a tantalizing athlete with untapped potential, but what can he do in his first game with his new team?
Kadarius Toney To Make Kansas City Chiefs Debut In Week 9
The Projected Role
Anyone that has watched even one second of his college film knows just how explosive Kadarius Toney can be. Gifted with freak athleticism, Toney is simply impossible to bring down after the catch, and his quick feet and elite acceleration give him the potential to be one of the better route runners in the NFL. He has the speed to beat defenses deep and to turn short catches into massive gains. Andy Reid excels at putting players like Toney in the best possible position to succeed, and on paper, Toney has all the tools you need to thrive in this offense.
Some of these routes by Kadarius Toney are filthy pic.twitter.com/YDGOWPAuRP
— Braiden Turner (@bturner23) October 27, 2022
While Toney’s time in New York was largely unremarkable, we did see this talent on display quite a few times during his rookie season. While his 39-catch, 420-yard rookie season doesn’t jump off the page, he was remarkably efficient when on the field. He earned a target on 28.9% of his routes run, seventh-best in the league and averaged 2.13 yards per route run, 17th in the league. Basically, he got the ball every time he was on the field, and he always found a way to be efficient with the opportunities given to him.
Toney is a remarkable talent, but there is a reason the receiver-needy Giants were willing to part with him after just a season and a half. Toney has battled injuries throughout his career, and there have been whispers of attitude concerns. While it’s impossible for me to comment on the attitude concerns, we do know that the wide receiver is healthy and ready to contribute for Kansas City.
Kadarius Toney in the Gameplan
Every NFL playbook is complicated, and the Chiefs have one of the most complex offenses in the league. Andy Reid is a genius, and it’s going to take time for anyone to adjust to a playbook with this many intricate formations and pre-snap motions. Because of this, it’s hard to imagine a world where Toney sees more than a handful of snaps in Week 9. However, when he is on the field, he’ll probably get the ball.
In many ways, the early part of Toney’s Chiefs career could mirror his rookie season with the Giants. He’ll have a limited role while getting acclimated to the offense, but he’ll make the most of his touches. He found a way to be one of the NFL’s most efficient receivers as a rookie in a Joe Judge offense, so he should be able to maintain that efficiency now that he’s catching passes from an MVP frontrunner in Patrick Mahomes.
Toney’s inexperience in the system puts a clear cap on his potential early in the season, but if he stays healthy and motivated, the sky is the limit. Kansas City’s wide receiver group is mediocre at best, and Toney should have no problem climbing the depth chart if he plays up to his abilities. That, admittedly, is far from a certain thing, but the promise of greatness should be enough to excite Chiefs fans for what may come.
