Wide receiver Kadarius Toney’s Chiefs tenure ended with a whimper when he was placed on waivers this week, but the ending isn’t making General Manager Brett Veach think any differently about the decision to bring him to Kansas City.
Veach traded third- and sixth-round picks to the Giants for Toney during the 2022 season and watched the wideout appear in 23 games. Toney missed time with injuries, dropped key passes, and committed a crucial offside penalty before being benched at the end of last season, but he also had a key punt return and touchdown catch to help the Chiefs win Super Bowl LVI. That’s why Veach said he’d “do it all over again in a heartbeat.”
Veach also said he’s “certainly disappointed” things didn’t go better overall and noted that some of the injury issues were bad luck. He also noted that Toney has a role in making sure things play out differently in any future stops.
“If he’s able to tighten up some of the offseason stuff and get his body [right], I think he’ll go out there and make a ton of plays for another team,” Veach said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “I think it goes both ways. I’m certainly sure that there would be things that he would do differently in regards to just some of the offseason and stuff and taking care of the body. I think it’s a process. He’s a really smart kid and I do think he’ll figure it out.”
Toney cleared waivers, so he’s free to sign with any team. It remains to be seen if anyone will role the dice on the third time being the charm for the 2021 first-rounder.