Throughout his three-year NFL career, Kadarius Toney has alternately tantalized with his talent and frustrated with his propensity for both injuries and mental mistakes. During his rookie season, Toney played sparingly earlier on before breaking out with back-to-back games of 6 catches for 78 yards, then 10 catches for 189 yards. But he got hurt soon after, returned for three more inconsistent games, then got hurt again. After a slow start and early injuries in Year 2, the New York Giants traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for only third- and sixth-round picks, just a year and a half after taking him in the first round.
Since arriving in Kansas City, Toney has continued to struggle with injuries, playing in only 20 out of 31 regular-season and postseason games. He has had moments of brilliance, like his electric punt return and touchdown catch during Super Bowl LVII. But he has also had moments of madness, like his drops in Week 1 of last season against the Lions and his offsides penalty that negated his own game-winning touchdown against the Bills.
But of course, the Chiefs have steadfastly maintained that they believe in Toney, and want to find more ways to get the ball in his hands. To that end, Toney is apparently going through some running back drills during training camp.
Toney is not exactly stranger to lining up in the backfield. He’s been there 25 times during his NFL career, according to Pro Football Focus, and he lined up at either running back or as an option quarterback 67 times during his four-year collegiate career.
All told, he has 21 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown in the NFL. A number of those came on jet sweeps and reverses, but that type of efficiency is hard to find. Last year, though, Toney’s 11 carries gained just 31 yards, and only two of them resulted in first downs. Perhaps the Chiefs feel that by getting him the ball in the backfield more regularly, he’ll rediscover the success he had the year before.
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Author: Jared Dubin
July 21, 2024 | 1:31 pm
