When healthy and on the field, Kansas City Chiefs second-year WR Kadarius Toney has flashed elite traits, but injuries have kept him from reaching his true potential. In his two seasons in the NFL, Toney has played only 19 of 34 possible games, while failing to log a single game with a 50% snap share.
Toney is the first name that comes to mind when speaking about WR1’s potential in the 2023 NFL season. The 24-year-old wideout was a first-round pick by the New York Giants back in 2021, with K.C. investing picks No. 100 and No. 209 in the 2023 NFL draft in return for Toney.
It is widely expected that Toney’s role and snaps will expand for the Chiefs in 2023. Kansas City acquired Toney about midway through last season and while he picked up the offense right away, he was mostly utilized as a gadget player, fulfilling Mecole Hardman’s role while the veteran dealt with injuries.
In Week 10 against the Jaguars, we saw how impactful Toney can be when featured, even on just a limited number of snaps. He played his highest percentage of offensive snaps of the season (44%), catching four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He would also add another 33 rushing yards. In that game specifically, Toney showed that he could be an effective receiver on every level of the field – underneath, intermediate, and downfield — giving a glimpse of WR1 ability.
- Heading into the offseason, Toney was a popular pick to become the top passing option outside of Kelce. That only amplified when new Chiefs OC Matt Nagy claimed that Toney has the skillset to be a true No. 1 receiver.
“Well, I think we all see what he can do when the football is in his hands,” Nagy said. “Again, the same type of deal. He comes in halfway through the season, it’s a whole new offense that he has to learn the ins and outs (of). So, you have that point, and he was able to do that. It’s exciting now for us to be able to take that to year two and build that relationship with Pat (Mahomes). But he’s super-talented with the football in his hands and he’s been that way his entire life in his football career.”
With a full offseason to continue to learn the offense, Toney is in line to separate himself as the top receiver in Kansas City’s offense. Health will be a major factor in this equation, but the training staff had 13 weeks to understand what type of plan it’ll take to keep Toney healthy and on the field. We’ve already seen part of that plan in action this offseason, with Toney getting some rest during OTAs and mandatory minicamp practices.
