Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl.
After Tuesday’s training camp practice on July 25, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided a worrisome injury update on key wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
“As far as injuries go, Kadarius had surgery on his knee this morning for cartilage,” Reid began his press conference. “It should be relatively quick as we go here — he wanted to get that thing taken care of.”
Big Red noted later that “there’s a chance” Toney suits up for the Week 1 game against the Detroit Lions. “We’ll just have to see how the recovery goes for him,” Reid continued. “He’s [already] determined he’s going to be there for the first game, we’ll see how it goes.”
The Chiefs HC did seem optimistic, voicing that he thinks the organization “caught it at a good time.” Ultimately, Reid concluded: “As long as the recovery goes well, I’m pulling for him in a positive way.”
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Provides More Info on Kadarius Toney’s Summer Knee Surgery
“Really, part of his meniscus tore — the way he turned,” Reid confirmed after several follow-up questions. “He might have had a little something in there anyways and it just caught a little bit more.”
The long-time coach also made it clear that head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder will handle the recovery timeline, not Toney — who appears antsy to get back onto the field — or anyone else.
“Report slightly wrong but I’ll definitely be bakk soon,” Toney tweeted on July 24 after ESPN’s Adam Schefter stated that Toney “aggravated [a knee] injury Sunday while fielding a punt and is expected to miss some time during training camp but [will] be ready for the start of the regular season, per league source.”
At the time, most fans assumed Toney would be back sometime in August based on his response, but it turns out Travis Kelce’s initial slip-up was pretty accurate with his Week 1 status being in doubt.
“I think getting [the surgery] done now is a good thing,” Reid reiterated with a bit of positivity on the disappointing turn of events, “as opposed to it lingering and then getting worse and worse. I’m glad he got it knocked out and done.”
Chiefs Injury to Kadarius Toney Could Free Up Roster Spot for Justyn or John Ross in Training Camp
After the Toney news came in, Arrowhead Pride film analyst Ron Kopp Jr. wrote: “In a world where Brett Veach didn’t call Kadarius Toney WR1, this news doesn’t hit as hard as some are taking it. In all honesty, the WR1 expectation should have always been put on Skyy [Moore]. We’ve seen many Round 2 WRs ascend into WR1 types in Year 2. Expectations should be high.”
Translation: Next man up.
If there is a silver lining here, it’s that Toney missing Week 1 and beyond could theoretically free up a roster spot for another talent wideout. Let’s say the Chiefs decide not to rush him back and the oft-injured playmaker hits the injured reserve for the first four games, that’s a four-week audition period for someone else.
The popular Justyn Ross perhaps, or maybe John Ross or an enticing undrafted prospect like Nikko Remigio. Also in the mix are WR/returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette, former draft pick Cornell Powell, UDFA newcomer Kekoa Crawford and Ty Fryfogle.
This injury could put more emphasis on veteran Richie James Jr. as well — who has been an early camp standout catching passes from Patrick Mahomes II. James and Toney have a lot of similarities to their game, and the free agent addition is probably first in line to replace his role inside Andy Reid’s system.