It's not quite the departure of Tyreek Hill in 2022, but the Chiefs once again have a need for newer names to step up in the receiver room.
Matt Nagy, who joined Kansas City last year as the quarterbacks coach and now serves as offensive coordinator, is looking forward to Kadarius Toney potentially being one of them as he continues working alongside Patrick Mahomes.
"I think we all see what he can do when the football's in his hands," Nagy said, per the team transcript. "Again, same type of deal, he comes over halfway through the season, it's a whole new offense, he's got to learn the ins and outs, and so you have that point and he was able to do that and it's exciting now for us to be able to take that to year two and build that relationship with Pat. But he's super talented with the football in his hands and he's been that way his entire life in his football career."
Although the Chiefs used a second-round pick on Rashee Rice and added Richie James and Justin Watson over the offseason to compensate for Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster finding homes elsewhere, Toney is the holdover piece from last year's roster with the most tantalizing potential yet to be unlocked.
A first-round pick just two years ago, Toney had the makings of a steal when he wore out his welcome with the Giants and found himself traded to Kansas City last October.
The Chiefs offense already operated as a well-oiled machine before his arrival, though, and as Nagy mentioned, finding one's place in such a system takes time.
Toney appeared in seven regular-season games for K.C. with 14 catches, 171 yards and two touchdowns. He added another seven receptions and a score in three postseason games, but he saved his best play for his final touch of the year.
Super Bowl LVII hung in the balance with just over 10 minutes remaining and the Chiefs leading, 28-27. Then, Toney escaped a wall consisting of half the Eagles' special-team unit to take a Super Bowl-record 65-yard punt return back to Philadelphia's 5-yard line. The Chiefs scored three plays later, their last TD of the 38-35 win.
The playmaking ability Toney displayed there, as well as in his limited touches while still establishing familiarity with the offense, is cause for optimism that he'll put it all together with a whole offseason to build chemistry. Not only should another year of playbook install make a difference on scripted plays, but Toney's quickness pairs perfectly with Mahomes, an improvisational wizard known to conjure positive plays out of thin air.
Toney will likely take starting snaps alongside Marquez Valdes-Scantling with Rice and Skyy Moore also factoring in heavily. It'll be one of Kansas City's most unproven WR groups of the Mahomes era.
That leaves things wide open for Toney to make his mark -- and Nagy, among others, knows what he can do given a little bit of space.
