One of the biggest questions around the team has to do with the WR room, as its production was extremely poor in 2023 despite the ring. Kadarius Toney faced plenty of criticism for his performances last year, but Chiefs general manager Brett Veach believes there’s no one better than him at the position.

“He is probably our most talented wideout now,” Veach said, via ESPN. “It doesn’t do anyone any good unless you stay healthy. But the kid has always worked hard here for us and I know he’s been down there with Pat and I think it’s a matter of him staying healthy and I think if he can do that, he can really do a lot of great things in this offense.“

Toney struggled with injuries, drops and other mistakes in a season where only rookie wideout Rashee Rice seemed to be a reliable target for Mahomes. Veach is still a huge admirer of the 25-year-old, but admits that he needs to be healthy to deliver.

“That’s one of the things — there’s a lot of speculation about KT, but I don’t think we ever stopped believing in him,” Veach added. “I think people around the building like him. It’s the injury bug, hopefully he gets some luck on his side and can stay healthy and can be the player that he was in Florida and the player that we’ve seen in spurts here. [I’m] just hoping he has a good offseason and has a little luck on his side and can stay healthy.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid also shows belief in Toney

Toney seemed to have his days numbered in Kansas City in the final stretch of last season, as a drop that led to an interception in Week 15 against the Patriots cost him playing time in the remainder of the campaign.

He even contradicted his team’s report that claimed he was injured, but that seeems to be water under the bridge now. Just like Veach, head coach Andy Reid made it clear how highly he thinks of Toney.

“Kadarius is arguably one of the most talented guys we have on the team,” Reid said. “It’s just a matter of staying healthy and being able to stay on the field. I’m expecting him to come back ripping and ready to go. It’s great that he’s down there working with Pat and putting the work in so that’s a positive. We like Kadarius. It’s just a matter of having him on the field.”

Reid and everyone at Arrowhead certainly expect Toney to turn up his level in 2024. Last year, the former first-rounder caught just 27 passes for 169 yards and only one touchdown. Mahomes managed to take Kansas City to yet another championship regardless, but the front office expects he gets more help next time. And Toney could be crucial for that.

That was evident in their loss to the Buffalo Bills when Mahomes burst out at the referees for not telling Kadarius Toney that he was offsides on a potential game-winning touchdown.

That was yet another loss that could be on one of his skill players. And given his history of subpar performances dating back to his days with the New York Giants, some Chiefs fans are asking for Toney’s head.

With that in mind, superstar TE Travis Kelce addressed the situation on his ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother Jason, and he made sure to make it loud and clear that the team still has Toney’s back.

Travis Kelce Defends Kadarius Toney

“You can say what you want about him being in the neutral zone here and there. He lined up like that all game, didn’t get warned, blah blah blah, don’t call it in that position. You can’t put it in the refs’ hands in that position,” Kelce said.

Kelce claimed that he had no regrets about throwing him the football, adding that he would do the same over and over if he had to do so because he’s so confident in his skills:

“We talk about plays like this all the time, especially in critical moments,” Kelce added. “I love KT. If we get the opportunity again I’m going to throw that sh*t right to his chest again.“

The tight end also talked about Toney’s talent and skills, adding there’s just no way to think he’s not a talented player if you take a look at the tape and the things he’s capable of doing.

Even so, Toney has been quite underwhelming this season, and given his past with the Giants, the fans have every right to be worried about this being a perennial trend.

It hasn’t been a flawless season for the Chiefs. Despite being viewed as the clear favorites to dominate the AFC West, they are now just one loss away from being tied by the Broncos, a surprising turn of events catching everyone off guard.

In their recent game, the Chiefs experienced a disappointing loss to the Bills. Towards the end of the match, referees made a controversial call against Kadarius Toney, a decision that could have potentially led to a victory for Kansas City against Buffalo.

Travis Kelce gets real on Toney’s costly penalty vs. Bills

The Chiefs are in serious problems. Despite being the reigning champions, they haven’t been as dominant as anticipated, and their grip on the division is at risk, marking the first time in seven years that they face the possibility of losing it.

In their most recent game, the Chiefs experienced a tough loss against the Bills. They were on the verge of victory, but a controversial offside penalty called on Kadarius Toney dashed their hopes of defeating Buffalo.

After the game, many Chiefs players expressed their frustration over the referees’ crucial penalty decision. Travis Kelce stepped up to defend Toney, sending him a special message to shake off this matter and be ready for the next game.

“I got all the faith in the world in that dude,” Kelce said on Toney on his podcast. “He’s one our best players. He’s one of the best players we’ve got with the ball in his hands. You turn on the film, you watch what he does with the ball in his hands and you can’t tell me you don’t want that guy on your team.

“Everybody hating on KT right now, I’m not trying to hear that. … I’m trusting in 1-9 every time he’s out on the field.”

Kelce also acknowledged the rough patch the Chiefs are facing. The tight end recognizes the stark differences this year, yet remains optimistic, hoping they can overcome these challenges and contend for back-to-back titles this season.

“When you watch the film, penalties in critical moments, turnovers in critical moments,” Kelce said. “Yeah, it’s frustrating, but at the same time, we know a lot of it is self-inflicted, and we know that, moving forward, it can be fixed and we have the guys to be able to get it fixed. … I just wanted to make sure that Chiefs Kingdom, everybody knows that we have everybody we need here, and we’re going to get it fixed.”

Will the Kansas City Chiefs win the AFC West this season?

As of today, the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t clinched the AFC West title yet. They presently hold a record of 8-5, while the Denver Broncos closely trail them with a 7-6 record.

Despite Denver’s close pursuit, the Chiefs maintain a one-game advantage. For the Broncos to contend for the division title, they would need to win their remaining four games perfectly and hope for a Kansas City defeat.

The Jaguars put a lot of pressure on the Chiefs’ shaky offensive line, and some odd decision-making by HC Doug Pederson cost his team a better chance to win this defensive battle.

Mahomes didn’t have a second to blink and was on his toes for most of the game, but the Chiefs’ defense also did its job to keep them in the game. Unfortunately, they did lose another key piece in Kadarius Toney.

Chiefs’ Kadarius Toney Has A Foot Injury

“Kadarius Toney’s left foot was bothering him a little bit,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said. “We’ll check it out. He played most of the plays that he was supposed to be in on. [Wide receiver] Justin Watson was dehydrated. He came in and got an IV, and then he was going to come back out if it went into overtime.”

The former New York Giants WR has been struggling this season. He had four key drops in Week 1, and lost one fumble in Week 2, although the team managed to recover it.

He had three receptions for 53 yards and one rush for 3 yards in Sunday’s game, but he was projected to be near the top of the depth chart in the passing game. Maybe that’ll be the case down the line, but missing more time won’t help.

Not only did they lose to the Detroit Lions in the first week of the year, but also showed many problems in offense. While Mahomes tried to get things going, his teammates didn’t help him.

Wideout Kadarius Toney, for instance, dropped the ball many times – including an interception Brian Branch returned for a touchdown. This week, Toney took blame for his mistakes.

Kadarius Toney looking to bounce back after poor game vs. Lions

“I told coach, I told Pat, all the guys — that’s on me,” Toney said, via ProFootballTalk. “At the end of the day, y’all count on me and rely on me to make certain plays, and I’ve got to be there to do that. There’s really no excuse, nothing you can blame it on — none of that.

“I know I could have made those plays. I’ve just got to make sure I show up when it’s time. Both of those guys, they’ve got trust, they’ve got faith in me,” Toney said of Andy Reid and Mahomes. “And I appreciate those guys for that. Like I said, just have to go put the work in. There isn’t too much talking with me left.”

Who plays the Chiefs in Week 2?

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs return to action on Sunday, September 17, when they travel to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars.

It’s a massive challenge as the last team to do it were the New England Patriots twenty years ago. The defending champions always get the best of their rivals week after week and this won’t be the exception.

The Detroit Lions showed it to the NFL with a shocking 21-20 victory at Arrowhead Stadium in the opener. In that game, wide receiver Kadarius Toney was severely criticized after dropping two key passes.

Patrick Mahomes still believes in Kadarius Toney

The Kansas City Chiefs really struggled on offense with the absence of Travis Kelce during the loss against the Lions. Furthermore, Andy Reid realized it’s not going to be that easy to replace a veteran presence like JuJu Smith-Schuster who went to the Patriots.

The Chiefs had everything under control in the second half, but a dropped pass by Kadarius Toney brought back the Lions with an interception returned for a touchdown by Brian Branch.

Then, in the final minutes of the game, Patrick Mahomes was leading a winning drive when, incredibly, Toney dropped another pass which should have been an easy first down. That’s why the wide receiver became a hot topic on social media. Nevertheless, Mahomes got his back.

“I have trust in him. He missed a lot of training camp and obviously he wanted to play and fought during rehab hard so he could play. Stuff’s not always going to go your way.”

According to Mahomes, there’s no need to take drastic measures about Toney. “Obviously, he would’ve wanted to catch a few of those in the game, but I’ve trusted he’s going to be that guy that I go to in those crucial moments. He’s going to make the catch and win us some games like he did last year. So, we’re going to continue to work him in, get him more and more reps, and I’m sure that those drops will kind of disappear.”