Kadarius Toney Knee Surgery: Andy Reid Details Timeline for KC Chiefs WR

KC's head coach revealed a new detail about Toney's week and provided a possible recovery timeline.

The Kansas City Chiefs' first week of full-team training camp in St. Joseph, MO has gotten off to a good start, although it's been largely without wide receiver Kadarius Toney. The talented pass-catcher and overall offensive weapon suffered an injury during Sunday's practice that was described as a tweak at first, with more and more details slowly coming out over the course of the week.

Head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media on Tuesday morning, and he had an update on Toney's status. Following practice, Reid revealed that Toney had surgery earlier that morning on his knee stemming from the meniscus injury suffered a few days prior. 

"As far as injuries go, Kadarius had surgery on his knee this morning for cartilage and it should be relatively quick as we go here," Reid said. "He wanted to get that thing taken care of."

When asked about Toney's potential availability for Week 1 of the 2023 regular season, Reid said "there's a chance" that the 24-year-old could play and he's "bound and determined" to be on the field with his teammates to open the year. That tracks along with the timeline that tight end Travis Kelce hinted at on Monday, as Kelce expressed optimism that Toney could be back for either Week 1 or some time early in the season. 

Toney, acquired in a midseason trade with the New York Giants last year, was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN to have undergone an "off-season cleanup procedure" on his knee and then aggravated it on Sunday. Toney later tweeted that the report was "slightly wrong," and Reid confirmed on Tuesday morning that the knee surgery was conducted during Toney's time in New York, not Kansas City. When asked about the impact of Toney's absence relative to the team's big plans for him this year, Reid said he's glad things got handled now so the young wideout can work his way back in the coming weeks.

"Listen, I look at it the other [way] and I go, 'I'm glad they caught it and that it happened this early where he can get himself back and we've got a lot of time still left,'" Reid said. "He's a smart kid, so he picks this stuff up fairly easily. I don't think he's going to have a tough time getting back in. It's just getting back into football shape."

In regards to any potential availability restrictions on special teams once Toney returns, Reid campaigned for a wait-and-see approach. In seven regular-season games in 2022, Toney returned 10 punts for 61 yards and then proceeded to bring back six more for 112 yards — including a record 65-yard punt return during a pivotal moment in Super Bowl LVII — in the playoffs. 

Toney's production as a receiver was inconsistent in his first stint as a Chief, and so was his health. When on the field in those aforementioned seven games, the former Florida standout hauled in 16 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns while also carrying the ball five times for 59 yards and another score. During the team's postseason run, he had seven receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown and logged one carry for 14 yards. Now, the Chiefs' hope is that he has a quick and successful recovery in time to make an early-season impact alongside the rest of the wide receiver unit.

On Wednesday, Toney posted to Instagram and said his surgery went well:

Kadarius Toney with an update via his IG, says “Surgery went well, Ill be back like I never left.” #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/ad0DnfWvH4

— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) July 26, 2023

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