The Kansas City Chiefs will help ring in the new football year when they host the Detroit Lions in the regular season opener on Thursday night. As they kick things off and begin their title defense, they'll do so with one of their top wideouts back in the fold. On Sunday, head coach Andy Reid said that Kadarius Toney, who had been sidelined due to a knee injury throughout the summer, is trending towards playing in the Week 1 opener.
"Right now, he's good to go," said Reid. "He's moving around pretty good."
Toney was put on the shelf for most of training camp and the preseason after aggravating his surgically repaired knee back in late July while fielding punts. The 24-year-old underwent surgery this offseason to clean up some issues he had previously been dealing with. Toney did not play at all this preseason but does seemingly have the green light to play in Week 1, which is a major coup for this Chiefs offense.
Toney was acquired by Kansas City last October in a trade with the New York Giants, who had selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida. Injuries have been a notable fixture throughout Toney's brief time in the NFL, but he's also flashed the potential of being a No. 1 receiver. In the Chiefs' win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, Toney played a vital role, catching a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes and recording a 65-yard punt return in the fourth quarter to set up another score.
Coming into 2023, Toney is expected to be a major piece within this Chiefs offense, especially after the team moved on from JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency. While K.C. does have other receivers like Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rashee Rice and others, Toney has the ability to be a game-changing weapon. Even Mahomes noted this offseason that Toney "can be one of the best receivers in this league."
