Chiefs fans should expect more Kadarius Toney disappointment after Brett Veach’s comments.
Kansas City Chiefs fans saw the player he could be when the team acquired him in a midseason trade with the New York Giants in the 2022 season.
He didn’t do much in the regular season but had a Super Bowl to remember, catching a go-ahead touchdown and soon after coming up clutch with the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.
His fingerprints were all over their win over the Eagles.
That kind of showing on the biggest stage gave Chiefs fans hope that Toney was going to be a big part of their present and future at wide receiver. He was expected to play a big role this past season but struggled mightily, recording just 27 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown in 13 games. He had several key drops that wound up turning into Patrick Mahomes interceptions, and just never looked the part.
Toney missed some time due to injury and even caused problems off the field as well before being a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl. Despite all that went wrong in the 2023 campaign, Toney is still being backed by Chiefs GM Brett Veach. Yikes.
Brett Veach latest member of Chiefs to back Kadarius Toney
After Toney was an inactive in the Super Bowl, it was fair to assume he had played in his last game as a Chief. They needed to upgrade the wide receiver room, and he was clearly a distraction, even if it didn’t result in the team losing the Super Bowl.
Well, the Chiefs did upgrade their wide receiver room by adding Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a one-year contract, but Toney remains in Kansas City. From what Veach had to say, he might be here for a while.
Veach says Toney is probably Kansas City’s “most talented wideout”. He added that they have never stopped believing in him, and that it’s just a matter of him staying healthy.
Yes, Toney is extremely talented. There’s a reason that the Giants selected him with the 20th selection of the 2021 NFL Draft. However, his NFL stats have been nothing to write home about. In his three seasons he has racked up a total of 760 yards receiving. Part of that has to do with injuries, but those injuries also are why the Chiefs cannot be relying on him.
If the Chiefs want to keep Toney around as depth, more power to them. Expecting him to be this productive receiver for a full season that he hasn’t been is setting themselves up for disappointment.
