The Kansas City Chiefs will be returning from the bye week with a new receiver to work into the offense.
During the week off, the Chiefs added wideout Kadarius Toney from the New York Giants. The 2021 first-round pick never found his footing with the Giants, but there is enough upside to be encouraged about what he could do in the Chiefs’ loaded offense.
Patrick Mahomes already linked up with Toney since he arrived in Kansas City, and the quarterback said in his weekly appearance on “The Drive” that he’s excited to involve the wideout in the offense.
“I was in town so I came to the facility and saw him. Got to meet him a little bit, talk to him. Seemed like a great, great, great dude and so glad to have him here,” Mahomes said. “Obviously a playmaker, can make a lot of plays happen. Let’s get him rolling, get him into our culture and see what he can do.”
Despite revamping the receiver group during the offseason, the Chiefs’ passing game has clicked this season. If everything goes to plan, Toney’s skill set could further boost them and help offset some of what they lost by trading Tyreek Hill in the offseason.
Expecting him to be Hill would be a good bit of pressure to put on a young receiver who just arrived, and Mahomes is planning to start things slow.
"You want to take it slow. We have a lot of playmakers already, so we’ve been doing a good thing as far as the offense has been going," Mahomes said. "When you add a guy that is a playmaker that can make a lot of special plays happen, you don’t want to throw too much on him there at the beginning. As the season goes on, I think his role will increase more and more, and you’ll see that special ability that he has.
It’s unclear how Toney will fit into the offense in the near term. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Monday it will be a gradual process, but Mahomes already is familiarizing himself with his newest weapon.
“He’s a physical catcher, I think that’s the biggest thing you kind of get pleasantly surprised with,” Mahomes said. “He’s a bigger dude than you think, obviously he is special with the ball and can make guys miss and run with the speed that he has. To be able to expand his route tree and get him in our offense, I’m excited for the opportunity he has.”
In the two games Toney played in this season, he has just two catches for no yards. He's been dealing with a hamstring injury, however Reid said Tuesday that the 23-year-old is healthy.
His first opportunity to potentially get into game action will be Sunday when the Chiefs host the Titans at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday Night Football.
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