All throughout last season, the Kansas City Chiefs had major issues with their wide receiver corps. It seemed like they couldn't trust anyone but Rashee Rice to make plays, and they couldn't trust any of the players to consistently catch the ball and/or avoid penalties.
Nobody came under more fire for those two issues than Kadarius Toney. He had brutal, untimely drops that arguably cost the Chiefs a pair of regular-season games, and of course, he famously lined up offside on a critical snap against the Bills that took the game-winning touchdown off the board.
In the end, despite appearing in 13 games, Toney played just 26% of Kansas City's offensive snaps -- only a slight increase from the year before, when he logged a 23% snap rate. Still, the Chiefs have consistently expressed confidence in his ability to make plays, and have always maintained that they are behind him and want him to be part of their offense in whatever way he can contribute.
That's now continued into this offseason, with both general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid going to bat for him, and specifically praising his level of talent.
"He is probably our most talented wideout now," Veach said, according to ESPN. "It doesn't do anyone any good unless you stay healthy. But the kid has always worked hard here for us and I know he's been down there with Pat and I think it's a matter of him staying healthy and I think if he can do that, he can really do a lot of great things in this offense.
"People around the building like him and it's the injury bug and hopefully he gets some luck on his side and he can stay healthy and be the player that he was in Florida and the player that we've seen in spurts here."
Toney has missed a ton of time due to injuries during his three-year career, having appeared in only 32 of 51 possible regular-season games. But he's also flashed a ton of talent, specifically in his first year with New York but also at times with Kansas City. If the Chiefs can figure out a way to unlock that talent and keep him on the field, it can take their offense to another level -- which is something they seemed to need quite a bit at times throughout last season. The most important part of that equation, Reid said, is the health.
"Kadarius is arguably one of the most talented guys we have on the team," Reid said. "It's just a matter of staying healthy and being able to stay on the field. I'm expecting him to come back ripping and ready to go. It's great that he's down there working with Pat and putting the work in so that's a positive. We like Kadarius. It's just a matter of having him on the field."
Toney can't showcase his talent unless he is physically able to play. If he gets on the field more consistently, perhaps he can hammer out the issues with drops and mental mistakes. If not, then the Chiefs will likely be back in the market for more receiver help.
