Travis Kelce, KC Chiefs Coaches Update Status of WR Kadarius Toney
The Kansas City Chiefs' week of practice is coming to a close, as the team will soon be departing for Las Vegas over the weekend. Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, one of Kansas City's biggest questions pertains to wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
Toney, who missed the AFC Championship Game, was downgraded from questionable to out for that contest due to a hip injury and personal reasons. Not too long after the 25-year-old welcomed his first child into the world, he went on an Instagram Live rant on Sunday morning and appeared to accuse the Chiefs of falsifying his injury designations. That sparked quite a bit of controversy and speculation, and the team went on to advance to the Super Bowl without him.
On Monday, head coach Andy Reid said he'd heard about the Instagram video but confirmed Toney's prior injury status.
"Yeah, well, obviously he's been on the injury report," Reid said. "So that part, that's not made up by any means. But he's been working through some things — he'll be back out there."
Toney was off the injury report and practicing entering Friday. To end the week, Chiefs coordinators and tight end Travis Kelce discussed the third-year wide receiver and where he's at.
Matt Nagy provides update on Toney's headspace
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was questioned about Toney's headspace, describing it as a "day by day" evaluation the team is taking into account at practice with him and every other player on the team. Nagy said he believes Toney is in a good spot, although he wouldn't go into much detail on his observations.
"I think so, yeah," Nagy said. "And again, we're evaluating all of that with every player every day, just kind of seeing where they're at. We want to be able to see it in practice. It's so important to be able to see these guys practice and see how they're doing individually, and then how they fit within the scheme of what we have."
Dave Toub not ruling out special teams duties for Toney in Super Bowl LVIII
Once Toney came over via trade midway through last season, the Chiefs slowly started using him as a punt returner on occasion. In his last six games played during that regular season, he logged 10 returns for 61 yards. In the postseason, those numbers were six and 112, respectively. While he hasn't been fielded much on special teams in 2023-24, Kansas City remains confident in his ability there. A large reason why is his game-altering 65-yard punt return in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Could Toney be used on return duty for the second championship in a row? Special teams coordinator Dave Toub wouldn't shut the door on that chance on Friday.
"There's a possibility," Toub said. "That's up to Coach (Reid). We'll see how the week goes this week. It'll be that sixth guy, whoever is going to be up at that wide receiver spot. He's definitely in the mix, though."
Travis Kelce shares message to Toney
Following a controversial ending to Week 14's game against the Buffalo Bills, Kelce was seen walking off the field alongside Toney and speaking to him. He then defended Toney during the week on his New Heights podcast, doubling down on his belief in the dynamic wideout. When asked on Friday about his message to Toney, Kelce said he wants to ensure that the level of belief and support is still felt even through a rough stretch.
"I just want him to know it's always love in this building," Kelce said. "And I know guys go through things both in this building and in their personal lives. He just had a baby girl, a beautiful baby girl, so shoutout to Kadarius for that one. But I think what's real is what happens in this building and how we can channel that. I just wanted to make sure he knew that we're all still behind him and ready to go get this Super Bowl."
