Chiefs newest addition hopes to bring back skill he excelled in at Florida

Kadarius Toney wants to do much more than just catch the ball with the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs freed Kadarius Toney when they struck a deal with the New York Giants to get the first-round pick from 2021. Toney had been underutilized in the Giants’ system under new head coach Brian Daboll and he gives Patrick Mahomes another weapon to throw to.

We found out a few things this week when Chiefs players spoke to the media. One, Brett Veach has had his eyes on Toney for a while. Apparently, he told Mahomes about the potential of bringing him to KC back in the offseason.

Also, Toney hinted at the desire to do much more than just catch the ball. He wants to get in on some kick returns, too:

Kadarius Toney was a great kick returner in college

Toney being interested in getting involved in the kick return game is great since he excelled as a returner in Florida. He’s returned just one kick in his time in the NFL but over his four years in college he returned 15 kicks and 13 punts. His average kick return was 21.3 yards, and average punt return 11.3 yards.

In 2020 he ranked second in the SEC in total punt return yards (139) and also returned a punt for a touchdown on a well-designed play that utilized a decoy:

witter.com/BoomOrBustDraft/status/1332754237646909444

Maybe the Chiefs can run a similar play using Skyy Moore — who has returned most of the team’s punts this year — in a coming game.

Toney has speed, so while he is a good receiver, the Chiefs have to use him wherever they can. The offense has plenty of guys who can catch the ball, and Toney makes that receiving corps more dangerous, but his ability as a return man makes this trade even more value-driven for KC.

Already, he’s been utilized in practice returning the ball, so we’ll likely see him in this context come Sunday at least once if Toney makes his debut.