From former NY Giants first-round pick to two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Kansas City Chiefs and now on the Cleveland Browns practice squad, it's safe to say Kadarius Toney has had an interesting career trajectory thus far.
Big Blue drafted Toney with pick No. 20 in the NFL Draft, and he quickly went from being a promising rookie in 2021 to becoming one of the most hated Giants in recent history. Toney would finish his rookie season with the second-most receiving yards on the team, but his attitude and injuries made him a villain to the Giants faithful. New York later traded Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs, which he did not take very lightly, as he would start beef with fans and bash the organization on social media.
Despite winning two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs in consecutive years, Toney still struggled and continued to become a laughing stock around the league. Last season, he had several drops in a Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions and was called for an offsides penalty late in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs' Week 14 loss to the Bills that negated a Travis Kelce game-winning touchdown.
Now there's a fresh start for Toney, who has an opportunity to be a significant playmaker for the Cleveland Browns offense, leaving his past with the Giants and Chiefs behind. If he impresses on the Browns' practice squad, the former Giants wideout can help a WRs room consisting of Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore. His potential to help overcome Cleveland's early offensive struggles is promising. Still, Toney is already causing headaches on his new team as he is dealing with an injury and not practicing.
#Browns LT Jedrick Wills Jr. returned to practice after not practicing yesterday.
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 12, 2024
David Njoku (ankle) not practicing and won't play Sunday.
Practice squad WR Kadarius Toney not practicing yet as deals with minor injury.
Kadarius Toney battling an injury with the Browns is no surprise
Toney has been dealing with a back injury all summer and did not play in the Chiefs' first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is a significant reason why he did not make the team, ending his tenure in Kansas City. When they acquired him from the Giants, the Chiefs viewed Toney as a potential WR1 for the future; however, he was inconsistent during his time with the AFC West side.
Injuries have always been a concern for Toney, who has missed 32 out of a possible 51 regular season games since entering the league in 2021. Toney was also a healthy scratch from the Super Bowl last year, with previous hip and back injuries forcing him to miss practice leading up to the game.
That said, if Toney can't stay healthy, that will continue to set him back in his career and prevent him from getting an opportunity to make a difference for the Browns in 2024. While Toney hopes to revive his career in Cleveland, plenty of haters will root against him in New York and Kansas City.