Chiefs Injury Updates on Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman
The Kansas City Chiefs are hard at work preparing for their Week 14 road matchup against the Denver Broncos, and they're also getting healthier on a few different fronts as the season reaches its final stretch.
On Wednesday morning, head coach Andy Reid took the podium to provide some updates on some of his players. Wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman have missed some time due to respective hamstring and abdominal injuries, and neither has played in Kansas City's past couple of games. As far as Toney is concerned, Reid announced that the 23-year-old wideout is making his official return to practice on Wednesday afternoon.
Toney, who was brought in via trade from the New York Giants earlier this season, had a prior hamstring injury flare up during the Chiefs' Week 11 win over the Chargers. Prior to that game, Toney was coming off an outing that saw him log 90 total yards on offense and score his first career receiving touchdown. The former Florida Gators standout has been handled with caution by the team and while being back at practice doesn't guarantee a return to in-game action in the near future, it's a positive sign nonetheless.
Reid also addressed Hardman's injury status on Wednesday. The fourth-year receiver isn't eligible to return to be activated from the injured reserve list until next week when the Chiefs are set to play the Houston Texans, but Reid spoke positively about his current status in injury rehab. Hardman has been on IR since Nov. 17 and in the four games prior to him going on the list, he hauled in 17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chiefs' offense hasn't quite been the same without their two most dynamic non-Travis Kelce threats. In Week 12's 26-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City was a bit sluggish throughout the afternoon and struggled to produce in the red zone — one of the areas in which Hardman is especially dangerous. In last Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chiefs mustered 24 points but once again weren't as effective and consistent as they usually are.
With Toney and Hardman making good progress, Reid's Wednesday updates could bode well for the offense as it gears up for the final part of the 2022 campaign. Toney is a quick-twitch athlete who can be a factor in just about any receiving role, and Hardman has found a niche within Kansas City's scheme that makes him a must-cover player for any opposing defense on a weekly basis. The sooner the Chiefs can get either or both of them back, the better off they'll be.
