Chiefs Have ‘Optimism’ for Kadarius Toney to Play Week 1

Kansas City has a positive outlook on Toney returning from his meniscus injury in the very near future.

With the Kansas City Chiefs' regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions on the horizon, the team will soon be officially embarking on the quest to defend its Super Bowl title. If they can do so with wide receiver Kadarius Toney in the fold, that should make things a bit easier for everyone involved.

Toney, who came over via an in-season trade with the New York Giants last year, hauled in 14 passes for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns in seven games with the Chiefs before logging seven receptions and another score in the playoffs. The 24-year-old former first-round didn't get a ton of playing time and also struggled to remain healthy but when on the field, he flashed some of what he's capable of accomplishing in head coach Andy Reid's offense.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Toney suffered a knee injury on the first day of full-team training camp back in July. Now a month-plus removed from the ailment, though, the club is growing more and more positive in its outlook on him potentially being available for Week 1. Reid said on Saturday that Toney was "doing great," and James Palmer of NFL Network reported on Monday that Kansas City shares the same optimism: 

"I'm told, Andrew (Siciliano), there's some optimism that he's going to be able to go for the Kansas City Chiefs in this opener to start the regular season against the Detroit Lions. Now remember, he partially tore that meniscus at the start of training camp and hasn't done anything since. At the start of this offseason, they made it very clear that he was their clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver heading into the 2023 season. But he has missed all of this time with that knee injury.

"This week, I'm told, is going to be very important. They think he's doing great in terms of his recovery but how he practices this week would be big. Now if he's limited in any capacity at the start of the regular season, the good thing is the Chiefs are very deep at the wide receiver spot. They think in year two of this system, with MVS (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) and Skyy Moore, they both made a big jump in year two.

"And also, they believe Justyn Ross has had a very good camp. Remember him shining early in his career at Clemson before some foot issues? They believe their medical staff have done a very good job with him, and they're expecting some big things from Justyn Ross and obviously the rookie Rashee Rice as well."

If Toney indeed returns to practice and either doesn't have limitations or graduates to it in time for the Lions game, it remains possible that he will be ready to roll at the beginning of the season. A stint on the injured reserve list to start the year was a seemingly serious possibility at the time of his injury but with the alleged progress he's made, it wouldn't make sense. If Kansas City truly believes Toney has a chance to play Week 1, placing him on IR for the required first four weeks doesn't appear to be worthwhile.

Even if Toney doesn't track for the season opener, the progress reports from Reid and Palmer serve as good news. The Chiefs' offense is a more dynamic unit with Toney in it, and the threat of him being on the field is something opposing defenses must account for. With the Lions game being well less than a fortnight away, the next handful of days will determine whether a season debut along with the rest of the team is in the cards.

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