Bleacher Report Predicts Massive Kadarius Toney Breakout for KC Chiefs

A popular outlet is predicting that Toney will have a career year with plenty of production in 2023.

Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (19) celebrates with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after scoring a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Breen/The Republic via USA TODAY Sports

Prediction season is in full swing across the NFL world and despite just coming off a Super Bowl win this calendar year, the Kansas City Chiefs still have plenty to sort out ahead of the 2023-24 NFL season.

That especially applies to the wide receiver room, as both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman departed in free agency. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the most proven and consistent mid-level contributor left in this year's group, but the likes of Skyy Moore (entering year No. 2 in the NFL) and Kadarius Toney (entering year No. 2 with the team) project to be leaned on to pick up some slack. Outside of them and perhaps veteran Justin Watson, everyone else is an X-factor of sorts.

Toney, who was acquired via trade during last season, struggled with consistency and availability during his first half-season as a Chief. With that said, he also displayed in several separate instances what he can do within Andy Reid's offense at the height of his powers. With a full offseason to condition himself for another grueling NFL season and now having more time in the system, many are expecting Toney to make a leap this coming season. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report is no different, and he recently predicted that Toney will defy expectations in 2023 by topping 1,200 receiving yards. Here's some of what he wrote: 

Fans aren't the only ones excited to see a full season of the 24-year-old. New Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy told reporters he's intrigued to see what he can do with a full offseason under his belt in Kansas City:

"I think we all see what he can do when the football's in his hands. Again, same type of deal, he comes over halfway through the season, it's a whole new offense, he's got to learn the ins and outs, and so you have that point and he was able to do that and it's exciting now for us to be able to take that to year two and build that relationship with Pat. But he's super talented with the football in his hands and he's been that way his entire life in his football career."

Toney's explosiveness has never been in question. Neither has his ability to make people miss in the open field. Travis Kelce may be Patrick Mahomes' favorite target, but with Smith-Schuster gone, the team needs someone to step into the No. 1 receiver role.

That someone will be Toney—and he'll sail past the 1,000-yard mark in 2023.

For Toney to step up in that big of a capacity would be a massive plus for the Chiefs, as they only had one player reach or exceed that 1,200-yard receiving mark in 2022: tight end Travis Kelce. Smith-Schuster finished in second place on the leaderboard with 933 yards, and Valdes-Scantling's 687 yards ranked third. In seven regular-season games (three starts), Toney logged 171 receiving yards.

Getting all the way to 1,200 yards would nearly triple Toney's current career-high mark, as he had 420 yards during his rookie season with the New York Giants. Living up to the standard that Davenport set seems rather unrealistic, to be frank, but it doesn't mean that a big year is completely out of the question. Toney can have somewhere between 700-1,000 yards in his third year in the league and many would view that as a healthy success for both him and the team. 

Kansas City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are more likely to institute a "by committee" approach at wide receiver, which could lead to a more well-rounded yardage total for everyone as a result. Unless Toney channels his inner Tyreek Hill and reaches that level of production, a 1,200-yard season almost surely isn't in the cards. Davenport's prediction, though, does add even more fuel to one of the Chiefs' most popular offseason hype trains.

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