Kadarius Toney

Chiefs Aiming To Keep JuJu Smith-Schuster, Likely To Let Mecole Hardman Walk

March 7th, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

This year’s franchise tag deadline passed without the Chiefs re-tagging Orlando Brown Jr. They will take their chances on the market, with the veteran left tackle seemingly unlikely to sign before seeing what else could be out there for him. The defending Super Bowl champions are, however, interested in retaining at least one of their notable free agents.

The plan remains for the Chiefs to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster. After making substantial changes to their receiving corps in 2022, the Chiefs want to keep Smith-Schuster in the fold, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. It will take a fairly significant raise to keep Smith-Schuster, though the allure of returning to Kansas City’s Andy Reid– and Patrick Mahomes-led offense will be a factor in the seventh-year receiver’s free agency. Smith-Schuster has said he wants to return to the Chiefs, but after playing on an incentive-laden deal, he will command a nice contract in what will be his third run at free agency.

Although the Chiefs carved out some cap space via the Frank Clark release, they remain a few million over the salary ceiling as of Tuesday afternoon. Teams have until 3pm CT March 15 to move under the 2023 cap. On that note, the Chiefs are viewing Mecole Hardman as a likely departure candidate. They are expecting Hardman’s market to be out of their price range, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. Palmer doubles down on that, with the former second-round pick who missed Super Bowl LVII due to injury likely to leave Kansas City (Twitter link).

Hardman, 25 on Sunday, submitted an inconsistent four seasons with the Chiefs. The Pro Bowl return man did, however, eclipse 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons as a tertiary Mahomes target. He has totaled 18 touchdowns; three of those came in a Chiefs rout of the 49ers last season. A groin injury that required surgery shelved Hardman shortly after, and although he suited up for the AFC championship game, an aggravation led to a Super Bowl absence and a surgery.

Hardman, however, is not in danger of missing 2023 time, and Fowler adds some teams believe he will do well in free agency. This promises to be a thin market, headlined by the likes of Smith-Schuster, Jakobi Meyers and Odell Beckham Jr., the latter of whom having not played since Super Bowl LVI. The Panthers are believed to be one of the teams interested in Hardman, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Carolina traded the now-Chosen Anderson last season but still has D.J. Moore and Terrace Marshall under contract. Hardman would make for an intriguing complementary piece in Frank Reich‘s offense.

The Chiefs have big plans for their most recent receiver addition as well. They are viewing Kadarius Toney as a No. 1 wide receiver candidate, Palmer adds. Toney’s substantial injury history clouds that vision. Hence, the Smith-Schuster interest. Marquez Valdes-Scantling also remains under contract, and Skyy Moore should be expected to make bigger contributions in 2023. But Toney has a first-round pedigree and often flashes when he gets the ball. He set a Super Bowl punt-return yardage record and scored a walk-in touchdown in the narrow win. The high-variance speedster will also have a full offseason to acclimate in Reid’s offense, pointing his arrow up despite the injury troubles.

Kansas City may also lose safety Juan Thornhill in free agency, Fowler adds. The Chiefs drafted Thornhill in the 2019 second round as well. This is a fairly crowded safety market, but Thornhill has 52 career starts and made steady contributions for two Super Bowl-winning teams. Some teams view him as this class’ No. 2 safety, behind only Jessie Bates. That is high praise considering Jordan Poyer, Vonn Bell, Julian Love, John Johnson and Adrian Amos join Thornhill in free agency. Pro Football Focus rated Thornhill as a top-30 safety in each of the past two seasons.

Circling back to Brown, the Chiefs are taking the chance they will lose a central part of their O-line rebuild. The team brought in Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith in 2021, fortifying an O-line that had a brutal night in Super Bowl LV. Rather than another Brown tag, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the Chiefs want to solidify their long-term tackle spot this offseason (Twitter link). A Brown tag could have tabled matters to 2024 and created a Kirk Cousins-like situation, when a tag — at 144% of his 2023 salary — would have been untenable. Brown leaving this year, however, will make the Chiefs a candidate to draft a tackle or trade for one; this left tackle market is not particularly deep, Donovan Smith‘s Tuesday addition notwithstanding.

Giants Likely To Resume Odell Beckham Jr. Pursuit, Eye First-Round WR Pick

February 26th, 2023 at 9:39am CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants won their first playoff game in 11 years last month, but their wide receiver plan unraveled early in the season. The team’s hopeful top four options at the position going into the season were either injured, traded or nonfactors by the stretch run. As should be expected, outside help will be pursued this offseason.

This year’s wide receiver free agent market is not particularly flashy, which could lead to increased trade buzz. But the Giants should be expected to pick up where they left off with Odell Beckham Jr., Connor Hughes of SNY notes. The team did not view Beckham as being a realistic candidate to help last season, and the former Giant carried unrealistic price demands. This combination scuttled the Giants’ interest, and the other suitors backed off as well. But Beckham will be a factor in free agency.

Assuming Beckham has used the past few months to move closer to 100%, or around 80% of the version he was prior to his second ACL tear, Hughes expects the Giants to be in the mix until the end for a reunion. Beckham, 30, has expressed steady interest in his former team, as tweets during last season’s surprise playoff journey most recently showed, but he may not have the same interest if the Giants move on from both Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkley. The two skill-position holdovers from Beckham’s Giants stay are free agency-bound, though the team has shown steady interest in keeping Barkley — so long as such a pursuit does not involve letting Daniel Jones walk.

The Cowboys and Rams are also expected to revisit a Beckham push. Considering this year’s underwhelming market, it will be interesting to see where teams will go to add OBJ. The eight-year veteran was last seen playing a major role in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win, but his second ACL tear crushed his 2022 market. He will join the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jakobi Meyers, Allen Lazard, DJ Chark and others on this year’s market.

Shepard joins Wan’Dale Robinson as Giants wideouts to have suffered major injuries in 2022 and joins Darius Slayton in being unattached for 2023. The Giants will also cut Kenny Golladay soon; a post-June 1 distinction will create $13.5MM in cap space for Joe Schoen‘s team. Although free agency will be a key avenue for Big Blue to upgrade at this position, its best chance of landing a No. 1-caliber option will be in the draft. It represents a fairly safe bet the Giants will strongly consider a wideout in Round 1, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports notes.

Penciling in a receiver at No. 25 for New York should be a “pretty safe” bet for the Giants, per Vacchiano. Todd McShay’s first mock sends Boston College’s Zay Flowers to the Giants, while Daniel Jeremiah’s second pegs Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt as the ascending team’s pick. This is a less optimal time to enter an offseason with a receiver need. In addition to the maligned free agency crop, the draft does not look to carry the caliber of talent of recent years. This class lacks dominant options, at least going in, Jeremiah offers (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe). The upcoming Combine and pro days will reveal more about this class’ capabilities.

The Giants’ last major receiver draft splash came two years ago, in Kadarius Toney. After the Eagles foiled the Giants’ plans to take DeVonta Smith, the Dave Gettleman regime settled on Toney. The shifty but incredibly injury-prone player wore out his welcome quickly in the Big Apple, and the Giants traded him to the Chiefs for third- and sixth-round picks. Toney has not stayed healthy in Kansas City, either, but he did score a walk-in touchdown in Super Bowl LVII and set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return. The Chiefs acquired Toney before the trade deadline, but GM Brett Veach said (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan) the team discussed him with the Giants during the 2022 offseason.

Toney trade talk emerged briefly in the offseason, before the team shot it down. During that window, however, a Chiefs offer may well have emerged. The Giants held off on doing a trade with the Chiefs at that point, rightly viewing Kansas City picks as being likely to land late in rounds. Presumably, no better offers for the ex-Florida Gator come before the deadline. The Giants ended up landing the last picks in Round 3 and Round 6 (Nos. 100 and 196 overall) in the trade.

Mecole Hardman Unlikely For Super Bowl LVII; Chiefs Optimistic On JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kadarius Toney

February 2nd, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both the Bengals and Chiefs lost wide receivers during the AFC championship game, but the eventual conference champions dealt with more pass-catcher unavailability. The Chiefs finished the game without three of their top four wideouts, with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney sidelined by game’s end.

The Chiefs are unlikely to have their top four each in uniform, but Andy Reid is optimistic Smith-Schuster and Toney will play against the Eagles. However, the 10th-year Chiefs HC added Hardman is unlikely to go (Twitter links via ESPN’s Adam Teicher).

Hardman aggravated his pelvis injury during Kansas City’s 23-20 win. The speedster’s return for the AFC decider marked his first action since Week 9. The Chiefs had placed the contract-year wideout on IR but activated him ahead of Week 18. Hardman still was not ready to go after the team’s bye week, and he played 15 offensive snaps against the Bengals.

Neither Smith-Schuster nor Toney practiced Thursday, though Toney was present for the team’s morning walkthrough. Smith-Schuster is battling a knee injury, while Toney’s latest ailment is an ankle issue. Smith-Schuster, who joins Hardman as a contract-year player, only missed one game this season. He led Chiefs wideouts — by a wide margin — with 78 catches for 933 yards. The ex-Steelers staple will command a deal north of the one-year, $3.76MM pact he signed this year. Though, Smith-Schuster boosted his earnings by hitting incentive standards this season.

Toney has been unable to shake the injury issues that contributed to his New York exit. After battling separate hamstring injuries during his final weeks with the Giants, the former first-round pick suffered another hamstring issue during his initial weeks with the Chiefs. Toney, who has missed 16 games during his two-season career, went down after making a first-half cut against Cincinnati. The new Chiefs gadget player logged just four offensive snaps.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling ended the game as the last man standing, and the ex-Packer delivered his best outing as a Chief. Valdes-Scantling totaled a season-high 116 yards against the Bengals, scoring a touchdown for the second straight week. Given Hardman’s likely absence and Toney’s unreliability, the Chiefs will likely need a similar effort from MVS against the Eagles. Valdes-Scantling signed a three-year, $30MM deal with the Chiefs, doing so shortly after the team traded Tyreek Hill (who added a third All-Pro receiving season to his resume this season). Although barely $8MM of that pact was guaranteed, Valdes-Scantling has a good chance of sticking around in Missouri next season.

Regarding the Chiefs’ other injuries, Patrick Mahomes said he did not aggravate his high ankle sprain in the AFC title game. L’Jarius Sneed remains in concussion protocol, but with the bye week, the third-year cornerback has a better shot of being cleared in time for the Super Bowl. Willie Gay‘s early shoulder tests were encouraging, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Chiefs Designate WR Mecole Hardman For Return

December 18th, 2022 at 8:19am CST by Adam La Rose

DECEMBER 18: Toney will suit up for Kansas City’s Week 15 contest against the Texans, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The team expects to have Hardman back for its Week 16 tilt with the Seahawks.

DECEMBER 14: The Chiefs have been shorthanded at the receiver position lately, but that could change soon. Mecole Hardman is returning to practice today, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

This opens Hardman’s 21-day window to be activated from IR. A return at some point in the near future would be expected, given the team’s previously stated hope that his time on the sidelines would not extend through the remainder of the regular season. Hardman has been out since Week 9 with an abdominal injury.

The former second-rounder has seen a career-high 53% snap share on offense this season, his fourth with the team. He has once again served as a complimentary pass-catcher within the Chiefs’ league-leading aerial attack, albeit one whose target totals had increased with each passing season. That trend will stop in 2022 due to his missed time, but with four touchdowns, the Georgia alum could have a chance at setting a new watermark from the six he scored as a rookie.

Any further production on offense this season – or, if called upon, on special teams where he first established himself early in his tenure – will of course be noteworthy as Hardman is a pending free agent. His career over the course of his rookie contract has been marked by a lack of a dominant, breakout campaign, but also an ability as a return man and vertical threat.

Hardman should once again step into a rotational role behind free agent signings JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who have each enjoyed productive seasons in 2022. With trade acquisition Kadarius Toney dealing with a lingering hamstring issue, his availability could remain a question mark down the stretch. Hardman will be a welcomed sight as Kansas City looks to earn the top seed in the AFC while getting healthy on offense.

WR Injury Notes: Meyers, Toney, Cardinals

December 10th, 2022 at 9:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots were a talking point in some circles after their Thursday night loss to the Bills. Their passing attack in particular came under fire, but a turnaround this week against Arizona will have to come without their leading receiver.

New England has ruled out Jakobi Meyers for their upcoming Monday night game as a result of a concussion. The news comes as little surprise, given the fact that the 26-year-old was unable to practice throughout the week as a result of the injury. His absence will be felt by the Patriots, given his team-leading 593 receiving yards this season, to go along with three touchdowns.

Overall, New England ranks 20th in the league with an average of 232 yards per game through the air. The WR position has not been dominant in that production, though, with running back Rhamondre Stevenson and tight end Hunter Henry ranking third and fourth, respectively, in receiving yards on the team. Nevertheless, plenty of snaps and targets will be available for the likes of Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton as complementary pass-catchers to DeVante Partker.

Here are some other wideout-related injury notes heading into the remaining Week 14 contests:

The Chiefs were hoping to get Kadarius Toney back in time for this week after he logged three straight limited practices, but the midseason trade acquisition will miss at least one more contest due to his lingering hamstring issue. The former Giants first-rounder showed plenty of potential in his second game in Kansas City (four catches for 57 yards and one touchdown), but he will now be sidelined for his third consecutive game. With Mecole Hardman still on IR, the NFC West leaders will again be relatively shorthanded at the position.
The Cardinals will also be undermanned with respect to their pass-catchers when they play on Monday night. Rondale Moore has been ruled out with a groin injury. The 2021 second-rounder missed Week 12, and was unable to sufficiently heal during the team’s bye week. The news extends the injury issues which have plagued the Purdue alum dating back to his time in college, and will leave Arizona without their slot starter. In more positive news, DeAndre Hopkins will be available for the Cardinals when they look to find consistency on offense and avoid a three-game losing streak.

Injury Updates: Williams, Toney, Robinson

November 25th, 2022 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Injuries continue to plague wide receiver Mike Williams and the Chargers this 2022 season. After making his way back from a three-week absence, during which he missed two games, Williams left the team’s loss to the Chiefs last week after only six offensive snaps. The setback that took him out early in last week’s game will now officially keep him out for another game as Los Angeles has ruled him out for this week’s matchup against the Cardinals.

In Williams’ absence, the team will likely go with the same wide receiver mixture they did when he left last week. Keenan Allen will lead the receiving corps alongside Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter while also getting some reserve snaps from Michael Bandy.

It was originally expected that Williams would miss four games, after the initial diagnosis of his high ankle sprain. Counting last week as an absence, this week will be his fourth missed game, hopefully giving him the rest he needs to help the Chargers make a playoff push.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the league, starting with another injured wide receiver in the AFC West:

Second-year receiver Kadarius Toney has been ruled out for this week’s matchup against the Rams. Toney suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of the team’s win over the Chargers last week. The former first-round pick missed seven games over his rookie season with the Giants, missing five more games due to a Week 2 injury this season before his eventual trade to the Chiefs. This will be Toney’s first missed game as a Chief, a trend that Kansas City fans will hope ends here. The good news is that the team expects JuJu Smith-Schuster to return from a concussion that held him out of last week’s game. Smith-Schuster should start alongside Marquez Valdes-Scantling with Justin Watson and Skyy Moore providing off the bench.
Rams starting defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn meniscus, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The stout run-defender had really found a home on the Rams’ line alongside Greg Gaines and Aaron Donald but Los Angeles will need to figure things out without him for the rest of the year. Marquise Copeland‘s name was called last week when Robinson left the game in New Orleans. Michael Hoecht is usually the next name off the bench while Bobby Brown III and Jonah Williams each rotate in for short periods, as well. Copeland is expected to take on Robinson’s role for the remainder of the season, though.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Toney, Chargers

November 5th, 2022 at 2:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

To help create cap space as they acquired Bradley Chubb‘s fifth-year option salary (initially), the Dolphins included Chase Edmonds‘ two-year, $12MM deal in their Tuesday trade with the Broncos. Edmonds joins a Denver backfield already housing veterans in Melvin Gordon and Latavius Murray. Gordon’s up-and-down Broncos tenure has now included a demotion, effectively, with Murray playing a big role since being signed off the Saints’ practice squad. Fumbles have continued to plague Gordon in 2022, leading to the reduced workload despite a starting role. Broncos GM George Paton said the Edmonds trade would not affect Gordon’s starter status, calling the former Cardinals change-of-pace back “another piece to the puzzle.” It will be interesting to see how the Broncos proceed once Mike Boone is ready to return from IR. The team has five injury activations remaining this season.

Midway through his eighth season, Gordon (75 carries, 263 yards, four fumbles) is on pace for career lows in totes and rushing yards. Edmonds is on Denver’s 2022 cap sheet at just more than $1.1MM; that number spikes to a nonguaranteed $5.7MM in 2023. Gordon and Murray are both on expiring contracts. Here is the latest from the AFC West:

The other player coming to the AFC West via pre-deadline trade, Kadarius Toney is expected to make his debut for the Chiefs on Sunday night. Andy Reid pointed to Toney being in uniform against the Titans, via the Kansas City Star’s Herbie Teope (on Twitter). Toney has not played since Week 2. After he battled myriad injuries as a rookie, the former Giants first-round pick encountered issues with both hamstrings this season. The mercurial speedster, who has missed 12 career games, will attempt to stay healthy as he joins a Chiefs team that has started to see steady production from its post-Tyreek Hill receiving corps.
Shifting to the Chargers‘ receiving corps, Keenan Allen is aiming to avoid a lost season. The Chargers have ruled out their five-time Pro Bowl target due to the hamstring injury he suffered back in Week 1. Allen experienced a setback earlier this season but returned on a limited snap count in Week 7, but the 10th-year veteran said (via ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry) he exited the Bolts’ bye week feeling worse than he had before. Allen added that he was not 100% when he played in Week 7 and would not return again until he was full-go. After posting four 1,100-plus-yard seasons over the past five years, Allen has seen his absence hurt Los Angeles’ passing attack — one likely also impacted by the rib injury Justin Herbert suffered earlier this year. Mike Williams is also navigating an extended injury absence due to a high ankle sprain.
The hits keep coming for the Chargers. They will be without former first-round defensive lineman Jerry Tillery this week. Brandon Staley said the rotational D-tackle suffered a back injury weightlifting this week. Despite not starting and the Bolts not picking up his fifth-year option, Tillery has played 43% of the team’s defensive snaps this season.

Latest On Giants-Kadarius Toney Split

October 28th, 2022 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kadarius Toney‘s Giants tenure ended after 41 receptions, 420 yards and no touchdowns. The decision to send him to the Chiefs stemmed partially around trust issues, along with the injury-prone player fetching a Day 2 draft choice in Thursday’s deal.

Toney had missed the past five games due to separate hamstring injuries. The talented pass catcher missed time during training camp with a hamstring issue and, after catching two passes for zero yards in the Giants’ first two games, reinjured the same hamstring in September. While rehabbing the second hamstring injury, Toney injured his other hamstring. But he and the Giants had a difference of opinion in how Week 8 would play out.

The Giants preferred to sit Toney against the Seahawks. The second-year receiver, however, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, believed he had recovered. Toney indicated this himself in a since-deleted tweet (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). Multiple factors influenced the Giants’ plan, according to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz.

The new Giants regime wanted to keep a trade door open and felt it was more likely than not, given Toney’s injury history, he would damage his trade value if he played in Seattle. An injury designation would also have led to Toney being forced to stay in town during the team’s bye week for rehab purposes, per Schwartz, who adds the Florida product would not have wanted to go through with that plan.

Both the Giants’ current regime and its Dave Gettleman-led front office did not appear to trust Toney. The team’s present staff worried Toney would leave town and not follow through with the necessary steps to play in Week 10, with Schwartz adding conditioning represented a concern. This is not out of step with how the previous regime perceived Toney, who entered the draft with some baggage. The previous Giants staff did not have an issue with Toney when he was at the team’s facility, Raanan tweets, but they did not trust him to put in the work offsite.

Durability and attitude concerns led several teams to take Toney off their draft boards, Schwartz adds. The Giants had eyed DeVonta Smith with their 2021 first-round pick, but the Eagles traded in front of them. New York then traded back to No. 20, allowing Chicago to move up to No. 11 for Justin Fields. Toney became the selection, which irked Urban Meyer, who planned to draft him had he lasted to the Jaguars’ No. 25 pick. Travis Etienne has worked out a bit better.

Between then and the hamstring trouble that cropped up this year, Toney showed electric ability — mostly in two October 2021 games — but battled myriad injury issues. Toney began down a strange path when he did not show for Giants OTAs last year, surprising the team’s previous coaching staff. After missing most of last year’s training camp with hamstring trouble, Toney missed seven games due to ankle, quad, oblique and shoulder ailments. The new Giants regime entertained trade talks this offseason, one in which Toney also underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

The Chiefs have Toney under contract through 2024; a fifth-year option could extend that deal through 2025. After giving ex-Giants first-rounder DeAndre Baker a second opportunity, the Chiefs will roll the dice on another Gettleman-era top pick. Toney, who clocked a 4.39-second 40-yard dash coming out of Florida, would stand to be a developmental player in Kansas City. After wearing out his welcome with two Giants regimes, it will be interesting how the boom-or-bust talent fares under Andy Reid and Co.

Chiefs To Acquire Giants WR Kadarius Toney

October 27th, 2022 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants are already moving on from Kadarius Toney. Despite choosing the shifty wide receiver in the 2021 first round, the Giants are trading him to the Chiefs, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz tweets.

Kansas City is sending a compensatory third-round choice and a sixth-rounder to New York for Toney, who has again battled injuries this season. While Toney has shown promise when available, injuries have largely prevented him from playing as a pro. The Giants will receive the third-round pick the Chiefs obtained for the Bears’ Ryan Poles GM hire, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Both the third- and sixth-round picks going to the Giants will be 2023 choices, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Toney trade rumors emerged briefly this offseason, but the Giants shut them down. At the time, Big Blue’s new regime was keen on seeing how Toney looked in an offense that also housed Saquon Barkley. While Barkley has returned to top form, Toney has tumbled out of the starting blocks. Injuries to both hamstrings have plagued Toney this season — one featuring just 35 offensive snaps — and a Joe Schoen–Brian Daboll regime that did not draft him will cut bait.

Quadriceps and oblique injuries sidelined the Florida alum for seven combined games last season — one that did include a Toney game at Arrowhead Stadium — and an ankle malady forced him out of another game. Toney missed much of last year’s training camp with a hamstring injury and underwent a knee scope this offseason. The Chiefs are taking a gamble here, but the 6-foot wideout has flashed high-end athleticism during his brief cameo as a healthy receiver.

Toney caught 39 passes for 420 yards last year, showing rapid-fire run-after-catch ability. He made a big impact in the Giants’ upset win over the Saints — a six-catch, 89-yard performance — and dizzied the Cowboys for 10 receptions and 189 yards the following week. Illustrating Toney’s boom-or-bust career thus far, that game also included Toney throwing a punch at then-Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee. Toney was also tossed from a Giants practice for throwing a punch last year.

At Florida, Toney zoomed onto the first-round radar with a 70-catch, 984-yard, 10-touchdown senior season alongside Kyle Pitts. Prior to that season, however, the 2021 Giants investment did not surpass 300 yards in a college campaign. The Chiefs do not have much of a sample size to go on here, but they have turned to a Giants first-rounder in the recent past. The Giants cut 2019 Round 1 cornerback Deandre Baker, after an offseason arrest, and the Chiefs ended up adding him. The Chiefs are obviously aiming higher with Toney, as Baker did not make a big impact during his time in Missouri.

Toney, 23, is signed through the 2024 season and can be kept on his rookie deal through 2025 via the fifth-year option, though we are obviously a long way away from Toney being option-worthy. The Giants will save $1.2MM against the cap by making this move, which comes after the Chiefs created a bit of cap space by restructuring Travis Kelce‘s contract for the second time in 2022. Kansas City still has a third-rounder in next year’s draft, along with two fourths. Over the long haul, however, the Giants will avoid $5MM-plus in Toney salary payments.

Toney, who has not played since Week 2, will have a bit more time to acclimate in Andy Reid‘s offense. The Chiefs are in their bye week. Kansas City traded Tyreek Hill this offseason, leading to an overhaul of its receiving corps. Free agency additions JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling lead the Chiefs’ attack, and each is coming off 100-yard games in San Francisco. The Chiefs also roster Mecole Hardman, who is in a contract year, and drafted Skyy Moore in this year’s second round. Moore has struggled early in his rookie campaign, and the Chiefs have been linked to both Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandin Cooks ahead of the deadline. This Toney trade could take K.C. out of the OBJ sweepstakes, as it profiles somewhere between a flier and a blockbuster move due to the compensation involved.

The Giants, who had hoped to draft DeVonta Smith instead of Toney in 2021, entered the offseason with a crowded receiver room. But that group has not played together much. Massive free agency disappointment Kenny Golladay is still out with an MCL sprain. Giants hopes at trading the ex-Lions Pro Bowler have run into expected contractually based obstacles. The team also lost its longest-tenured wideout, Sterling Shepard, for the season.

Moving forward, Big Blue has Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson in place as its top targets. Slayton rising to such a perch is interesting, given his recent place on the trade block after an offseason that saw his stock drop to the point he accepted a pay cut. But this trade figures to make the contract-year wideout a more important piece while making wide receiver a major Giants need in 2023.

NFC East Notes: Toney, Eagles, Commanders

October 7th, 2022 at 10:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Kadarius Toney did not make the trip to London with his Giants teammates, and Brian Daboll offered another discouraging update regarding the 2021 first-round pick’s status. Toney is battling a new injury, with Daboll indicating the reason he did not make the trip is due to a Wednesday tweak of his previously non-injured hamstring (via SNY’s Connor Hughes, on Twitter). Toney is now dealing with injuries to both his hamstrings, and ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan adds (via Twitter) the shifty wideout said the hamstring issue he entered the week with was different from the one that plagued him this offseason. That would add up to three hamstring problems since camp.

Toney has yet to sustain a serious injury as a pro, but he has fast become one of the league’s most unavailable players. Quadriceps and oblique injuries sidelined him for seven combined games last season, and an ankle malady forced him out of another game. Toney missed much of last year’s training camp with a hamstring injury and underwent a knee scope this offseason. The Giants’ current regime is souring on the Dave Gettleman-era investment, who is signed through 2024.

The Giants will be without Toney, Kenny Golladay and Wan’Dale Robinson against the Packers in London. The second-round rookie, who has not played since Week 1, will likely be out again. While Golladay will almost certainly not be part of next year’s Giants team, it is worth wondering if Toney will be. Here is the latest from the NFC East:

The Giants wanted DeVonta Smith last year, but the Eagles traded in front of them. Philadelphia was able to begin wheeling and dealing to land the Heisman winner after its apparent Week 17 tanking effort the year prior. That gave Philly the No. 6 overall pick, though Doug Pederson was no longer with the team by that draft. Pederson never informed Jalen Hurts of the plan to, after not dressing Carson Wentz that night, take him out and play third-stringer Nate Sudfeld, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. Pederson benching Hurts late in a close, nationally televised game bothered some in the organization, including then-DC Jim Schwartz. Some staffers also wondered if that decision would affect the Pederson-Hurts relationship going forward, McLane adds. That said, Pederson later expressed regret he did not go with Hurts sooner. As Wentz struggled during the 2020 season, the Eagles did not turn to Hurts until Week 14 that year.
Eagles management wanted to use the 2021 season to retool with younger talent, Zach Berman of The Athletic notes, while Pederson was behind a reload with a similar coaching staff. Pederson, who had resisted management’s wishes to oust Mike Groh during the 2020 offseason, wanted to promote Press Taylor to OC. That did not sit well with Jeffrey Lurie. Pederson has since hired Taylor as his Jaguars OC.
The Andrew Norwell–Trai Turner guard reunion may end up being short-lived. The Commanders benched Turner in Week 4, and Ron Rivera said the move will carry over. Saahdiq Charles will start over Turner in Week 5, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweets, with Rivera noting Turner is not fully over the quad injury he battled in camp. Turner nevertheless started from Weeks 2-4 and played 100% of the Commanders’ offensive snaps in Weeks 2 and 3. The former Rivera Panthers charge signed a one-year, $3MM deal this offseason, coming to Washington after one-year stays with the Chargers and Steelers. A third-year Washington O-lineman, Charles has started five career games

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