Xavier McKinney, NY Giants steal 23-16 win over Raiders: Takeaways

NY Giants’ use of Kadarius Toney confounds

For much of the game, NY Giants rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney was little more than a decoy, despite offensive coordinator Jason Garrett reinventing the wheel trying to get him involved.

Toney might be the most explosive, and gifted offensive weapon on the NY Giants’ roster, but it wasn’t until late in the third quarter that New York’s first-round pick even saw a target.

In the first half, Garrett sent Toney out in the wildcat formation, on a sack, and later Toney was dragged down behind the line of scrimmage on a play where the ball was lateraled to him and presumably was going to throw it. Though the first half, Toney had zero touches for negative-eight yards.

For a player with Toney’s game-breaking speed and elusiveness after the catch, the NY Giants’ reluctance to use him in the vertical passing game both limits his impact and puts a ceiling on the offense’s potential.