Laddie Morse
No… I’m not talking about DT Chris Jones… yet! However, WR Kadarius Toney has returned to the practice field. That means he’ll be ready to go this Thursday evening when our Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Detroit Lions in Arrowhead Stadium. Many a pundits, and fans alike, have second guessed KT and the Chiefs for saying Toney might be back in time for their first game, but it looks like all those saying so were wrong. Dead Wrong. However, I still maintain that Toney won’t play a full assortment of plays that Andy Reid has prepared for the Lions game. Here he is at practice just yesterday (0:34).
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While Toney is fast, and runs a 4.39 40 yard dash, he’s not as fast as Tyreek Hill was for the Chiefs. Although, his jump cuts are next to none and he’s able to get plenty of YAC (yards after catch). Here hi is during the Super Bowl last February taking a punt back further than anyone ever has in a Super Bowl:
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Brad Henson makes a good point about the trade for Toney. The Chiefs got Toney while the N.Y. Giants got a third-round compensatory pick in 2023 (the Giants traded that pick to the Raiders for TE Darren waller, and then the Raiders selected the 5-foot-9 and 187-pound slot receiver from Cincinnati, WR Tre Tucker), plus, K.C. also traded a sixth-round pick in 2023 for KT (which turned out to be pick #209 and the Giants selected CB Tre Hawkins III). The Giants selected Toney 21st overall in the 2021 draft after trading with the Bears to move back from No. 11. So, overall, the trade worked out pretty good for the Chiefs.
Here’s Toney at practice yesterday (0:09 x 2):
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Kadarius Toney’s Injury History
Here’s a look at Kadarius Toney’s Injury History as offered by draftsharks.com:
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That’s the big issue with WR Kadarius Toney: staying healthy, which means staying on the field. Sitting out after the first day of training camp, Toney had meniscus surgery on his knee and they also cleaned up his knee. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary to doubt that he’d be ready for the Lions game. However, Toney still attended the meetings the Chiefs were having and learning the plays so it’s not that strange that he’d be ready to pick right up and contribute.
In an article by Jordan Foote for SI.com, he revealed that Andy Reid thought that Toney could be ready for week one even the same week he had his surgery:
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“When asked about Toney’s potential availability for Week 1 of the 2023 regular season, Reid said “there’s a chance” that the 24-year-old could play and he’s “bound and determined” to be on the field with his teammates to open the year. That tracks along with the timeline that tight end Travis Kelce hinted at on Monday, as Kelce expressed optimism that Toney could be back for either Week 1….”
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There are those who think that the contributions of Kadarius Toney were an important reason the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII (0:57):
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Now, if we can get DT Chris Jones back on the field, we’ll be one tough out.
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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