Josh Kingsley
The CHIEFS recently restructured Travis Kelce to open cap space, and most fans and analysts viewed it as indication of an impending trade. On Thursday the CHIEFS did make a trade… for WR Kadarius Toney from the New York Giants. This move was on practically no one’s radar. I expected a trade after the restructure, but I specifically expected a more splashy defender or OBJ. Most of the social media platforms indicated plenty of company in that thought. I still believe the need for an edge or DT exists, and the Toney acquisition does not change the ample amount of cap space available for that move. That is a subject for another time, and the business at hand is assessment of this move.
Why This and Why Now?
This is a legitimate question because, well, no one talked about this move anywhere I saw. Another WR is bizarre alone, but a 20th overall pick for a couple draft picks is downright wild.
The first why takes me to the Giants: Why on God’s Green Earth did you bail on a first round pick? Was it the injury or character concerns? I hope not, that was all in the draft prospectus. A cultural fit concern? In a recent column of mine, I talked about workplace culture, so I understand that angle. Mark Cuban, for the record agrees with me. Fit was my suspicion and I looked to validate by reaching out to the biggest Giants fan I know. This is what my guy Ryan had to say about it:
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“Had high hopes for Toney being a weapon for the Giants. We have a history of receivers who just don’t fit, round peg in square hole. He was a first rounder and it stinks to trade him for a ham sandwich, but he was left over from old GM baggage. New leadership, new team, new attitude, New York Football Giants are finally winning games! See you in the playoffs.”
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Next question: Why did the CHIEFS trade for all that? It looks like the CHIEFS grabbed a load of talent with a slight predisposition of knuckle-head. This is Veach betting on his and Reid’s culture to correct the knuckle-headed stuff.
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Who Did We Get?
Who is Kadarius Toney? I recall this guy’s name from two occasions. The first was the draft buildup. I always have an eye on the WR position and hold the belief that teams like the CHIEFS should draft one early every year. Supporting a franchise QB with cap sustainable weapons at skill positions is good business. The CHIEFS have done a good job of this with recent picks like CEH and Skyy Moore. That draft approach coupled with solid FA additions allows big pieces and turnover while maintaining a solid offense. It helps when things like Tyreek’s departure happen. The CHIEFS built to the position of ability to absorb that loss. A great example of neglecting weapons is happening in Green Bay. Rodgers never received high draft pick weapons, so WR Davante Adams left, and now their offense is a joke.
Toney was on the trade up radar during the 2021 draft buildup. The CHIEFS ended up trading their first round pick for Orlando Brown, and Toney ended up on the Giants. My second noted occasion was after week 5 when Toney did this…
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… and Toney became the #1 waiver add the following week of fantasy. It is hard to avoid excitement watching that video and picturing Mahomes throwing him passes.
Draft Prospectus
The 2021 draft is close enough to consider the Toney assessment, which is in full here (and ex-GM Dave Gettleman explained why he traded up to get Toney with pick #20). Here are the things that jump out to me:
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- Productive starts as a freshman WR in the SEC
- AND a productive start at RB
- Wildcat QB snaps
- Ability to find the end zone
- Plus as a punt returner
- Limited high level success
- Lingering injuries
- Team suspension for behavior
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That’s a ton positives with a couple red flags sticking out. The upside of Toney is versatile weapon that can do what Mecole did last Sunday at Levi’s. The floor includes constant injuries and team discipline.
The Ultimate Why
Getting back to the main question: Why did the CHIEFS make this trade? The general fan reaction I see is one of 3 things:
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- In Veach we trust
- This is stupid, we don’t need it, and I’m angry we didn’t get <insert position or player here>
- I don’t understand, but am open to an explanation
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The first group is easy, y’all take a lap. Here’s my attempt to address the second two as I fell into category 3 initially.
Opportunistic
First round picks are valuable, and teams work hard to make them successful. The first round pick incites strong reactions. Orlando Brown killed a massive amount of good will with CHIEFS fans over the offseason. Half was the perceived greed during the contract negotiations, but the black cloud of sunk first round cost closely followed. First round picks should be stars, Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers. My friend Ryan makes that point clear in his message.
Toney shouldn’t have been available, but he was. My real curiosity lies in Veach’s intention. Did he hear rumblings of Toney’s availability or call about something else? I never expect an answer, but that’s my question. The opportunity for Toney turning into a star is quite obvious to me.
Fitting A Need
Toney is a punt returner. The CHIEFS need a punt returner. Skyy Moore is clearly not the answer, and this needs to end before it causes real damage. My belief is Moore got the PR spot to get him touches. Rookie wide receivers don’t normally walk in and steal reps from entrenched vets. However, Moore’s talent pops off the tape, and the staff made touches a goal. Moore did not catch punts in college, so this was a massive risk. It was a calculated and good risk, but it’s time to pivot. Too many games like Indy could crush Skyy’s confidence, and that creates busts. Shake his hand, thank him for the effort, take PR off his plate, and put him in for a designed play or two on game-day. Let Toney storm onto the team as the PR.
Looking Ahead
This is a future move. JuJu and Mecole are in contract years. We have a ton of season left, but smart money at present bets on them both leaving at the end of it. I sincerely hope that Mecole scratched the surface last Sunday and I get to laugh about this take, but it seems unlikely. Hardman needs to be special and especially consistent if he wants to stay in KC. JuJu strikes me as a 1-2 year deal journeyman moving forward. Assuming both these guys depart Veach has work to refill the WR room. Fan frustration reached a boiling point this past offseason over the WR room. Hill left and the signings to replace him drug a bit. This feels quite proactive to me.
Are the CHIEFS Better Now?
My belief is –> Yes. However, I sought other opinions. The Milwaukee fan group has a long running open text thread with a group of 9. Bob and Nick are a couple of the OG founders of the group. Bob kicked the topic with a screen shot of the Schefter tweet and a note about Nick’s impending rage. Quick point: Nick HATES east west running. Nick did quickly follow with his actual breakdown:
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“Honestly I think it’s a bad move, but not bc of him. I think our offense has enough weapons. If we’re looking to shore up to make a stronger SB push, I would’ve grabbed a pass rusher on the market. People listen to the media too much when they keep bringing up Hill. They’re just stirring controversy, but we don’t really miss him.”
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Bob quickly pointed at the first round pedigree and low cost to acquire, and I mentioned the JuJu and Mecole potential departures. Nick went Billy Beane and mentioned cap value ROI (return on investment) vs more needed positions. The text thread was a micro version of the analytical narrative.
My grade is a solid B, but I am open to Toney making up the points over the rest of the semester.
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Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne and Arrowhead Kingdom
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