Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (pictured) surrendered snaps to Mecole Hardman in Week 7.
Going into the 2023 campaign, Kadarius Toney was being spoken about as a candidate for the WR1 role with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, entering Week 8, it’s more likely that he’s phased out of the offense entirely after the return of Mecole Hardman.
“I firmly believed that reacquiring Mecole Hardman would eat into Skyy Moore’s snaps and not Toney’s, but that theory looks foolish through one game,” voiced Chiefs writer Joe Summers of FanSided on October 23.
Summers named Toney as his number one KC player that is “on thin ice” heading into Week 8, and it’s hard to argue with this realization.
“Toney played just 19% of snaps, his second-lowest total of the season, while Moore played 60%,” he detailed. “The former first-round pick managed just one catch on one target for 13 yards, playing only two more offensive snaps than Hardman despite the latter just getting to town a few days ago.”
Both Hardman and Toney have been utilized similarly during their stints in KC, so it’s very possible that the WR trade reunion could lead to a minimized role for the latter.
Crowded Chiefs WR Room Has Better Options Than Kadarius Toney
Whether it’s the dropped passes or too much hesitation on designed runs, Toney has been dreadful in 2023.
He only has 103 scrimmage yards and one total touchdown on the year — and that includes three credited drops, one fumble and negative two yards rushing on five attempts.
If you incorporate in returns, Hardman already has 56 total yards in just one game as a Chief (this year).
The crowded WR room doesn’t help Toney’s case to play more. “Rashee Rice continues to look like Kansas City’s best receiver and Marquez Valdes-Scantling had his best game of the season,” Summers wrote in the article.
He added that “if Toney is behind those two AND falls behind Moore with Hardman eating into his gadget plays, the draft capital the Chiefs surrendered to bring Toney in will quickly look like an overpay.”
Summers finally pointed out that “even Justyn Ross managed 25% of the snaps,” with Toney only at 19%.
“Toney was fifth on the pecking order and needs to find ways to get involved against the [Denver] Broncos in Week 8,” the KC columnist concluded.
Chiefs Can Justify Kadarius Toney Trade With Super Bowl Impact
Even if Toney doesn’t end up making it in Kansas City, the Chiefs will always have the 2023 Super Bowl win as proof that the trade was indeed worth the return.
Toney caught a key touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles that night, but his best moment was the record-long punt return that set up yet another touchdown for the Chiefs.
As for the Giants, they made out pretty well considering Toney wore out his welcome ahead of his departure.
Big Blue used KC’s picks to trade for tight end Darren Waller and draft cornerback Tre Hawkins III. Waller has certainly been the best of the three, but one could argue that both NYG players have been more impactful than Toney in 2023.
The sixth rounder, Hawkins, has started two games out of seven and registered over 250 total snaps so far as a rookie.
“It’s difficult to tell if the Chiefs are a winner of the trade, but given how close the Super Bowl was and the instrumental role that he played, we’ll call them a winner even if a third-round pick is a bit steep,” Pro Football Network’s Arif Hasan outlined earlier this year.
The NFL writer was also willing to conclude that both Toney himself and the Giants were “definitive winners” in this deal, so this one could go down as a win-win at the end of the day — even if the Super Bowl is the sole positive for KC.