Getty Image / Scott Winters
Last offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs made a big change on offense.
They traded away Tyreek Hill and turned to a platoon of receivers for Patrick Mahomes to throw to.
The decision worked out pretty well for them as Mahomes won the NFL MVP and the team won the Super Bowl.
This offseason, fans have been expecting them to pursue a big name to join their receiver corps as they attempt to defend their title.
Now it’s looking like that won’t be the case.
According to NFL Network’s James Palmer, the Chiefs are planning to stick with their current group of pass catchers and are expecting Kadarius Toney to be their WR1.
The thought in KC right now is Patrick Mahomes is expected to be throwing the same core group of guys he ended the season with.
– Kelce
– Toney (who the #chiefs believe will be WR1 in 2023)
– MVS
– The plan is to bring Ju Ju back
– Skyy Moore— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) March 7, 2023
This is a huge gamble for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kadarius Toney has flashed plenty of potential when he has actually been on the field. In just his 4th appearance for the Giants during his rookie season, he put up 10 catches for 189 yards against the Cowboys. He had 6 for 78 the game before.
This year, he managed to top 50 yards a couple of times for the Chiefs.
However, Toney hasn’t been able to stay on the field or produce consistently when he’s been on the field.
Toney has appeared in just 19 games in his first two seasons in the NFL.
This season, he played in 7 of 10 possible regular season games for the Chiefs, but only had more than 2 catches in 2 of those games.
In the team’s 3 playoff games, Toney made just 1 catch twice.
There’s always the chance that a full offseason with the Chiefs could help him develop and find his place on the offense, but the Chiefs are putting a lot of faith in a player whose career so far has been more about potential than actual production.