Why has the Chiefs’ Kadarius Toney had limited snaps? What Andy Reid said Monday
Nathan Ray Seebeck/Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Kadarius Toney, the team’s wide receiver, has not played much recently as they try to preserve his health for the final stretch.
Reid was asked about Toney during a weekly news conference Monday, saying the team needed to “keep coming with him” after the receiver had knee surgery on July 25 to repair cartilage in his knee.
Reid stated, “We are just making sure he can make it through the year and in good health, so we are taking it easy with him up to this point.
Toney notably returned for Week 1 following the surgery, playing 16 snaps in the season opener against the Detroit Lions.
After spraining his toe in the following week’s game and spending some time on the injury report, he quickly reached his season’s maximum number of snaps, recording 25 against Minnesota in Week 5 and 30 against Denver at home in Week 6.
His usage has ticked down since then. Over the last three weeks, Toney has had 13, 12, and 7 offensive snaps; he has caught one pass in each of those games.
Toney was dynamic during his limited time last week against Miami, bringing in an 18-yard reception on the Chiefs’ final offensive scoring drive in the second quarter.
Toney only had that one opportunity against the Dolphins, but Pro Football Focus awarded him three missed tackles forced (MTFs) on that play alone. Toney’s three MTFs in Week 9 tied for fifth among all pass-catchers.
For the season, Toney’s 10 MTFs (on 20 receptions) are tops among Chiefs players. With six apiece, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice, and Noah Gray are tied for second place.
Reid was asked Monday what went into the balance of playing Toney now versus looking toward his long-term health.
Listen, he played seven plays last week, Reid said Monday. “So we can play him more than that and still be OK.
While keeping an eye on the future, Reid stated that the Chiefs would keep an eye on Toney’s leg.
Make sure that we’re repping that out the right way and let him keep progressing as we go here throughout the year,” Reid said. “That’s the important part.”
