Giants Receiver Kadarius Toney Excited by Role in New Offense

Giants WR Kadarius Toney has put last year's disappointing season behind him and is ready to go in Year 2.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Sep 2, 2022 10:06 AM EDT

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New York Giants receiver Kadarius Toney is ready to go.

That's the sentiment the Giants hoped to hear from the second-year receiver after he was slowed down this summer by some undisclosed lower body injuries.

Toney, when healthy, figures to be a key part of the new, more explosive offense being planned by head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. And while it's hard to say for sure how much of Toney's role in that new offense would have been put on display this summer, neither Toney nor the Giants are looking back on what was.

"At the end of the day, there’s nothing I could do about that. I can just be where I can and do what I can when I can," Toney said.

So far, the start of Toney's NFL career has been rocky. As a rookie, the 20th overall pick in the 2021 draft missed seven games due to assorted injuries. Before that, he missed most of training camp between a bout with COVID and a hamstring strain.

This past off-season was no different. It was revealed that Toney underwent a minor knee procedure in the spring, which may or may not have contributed to him missing the first two weeks of the off-season program.

He showed up and did his thing, but when the team got to camp, he began missing chunks of practice time with suspected lower body injuries.

Through it all, Toney has tried to maintain a positive attitude. He stressed that there was never a doubt in his mind about being ready for Week 1, which as of now, is not 100 percent guaranteed but is trending in the right direction.

"I’m excited to get to see Kadarius," said general manager Joe Schoen, adding that they're optimistic the receiver will be ready for the regular-season opener on September 11.

"He didn’t play in any preseason games, so I’m excited to see him get on the field in a game in a meaningful opportunity and know the playbook and make plays."

Toney said he's also used the adversity to further his growth as a player and person.

"I mean, it’s just all adversity. It’s all about how you get through. It’s a mindset, a mentality thing. I feel good to be back, though,"

Toney said he's not bothered by the naysayers who question if he'll ever live up to his draft pedigree; rather, he's focused on what he can control moving forward after putting last season behind him.

"Football is unpredictable, so you can’t ever really say what’s going to happen or what’s not going to happen," he said. "You can get hurt running routes on air out there. It’s not hard to get hurt. But it’s just all about taking care of your body, all about recovery. So, I’ll just have to do a better job of doing that."

Toney said he feels comfortable with his role in the offense, which will include more pre-snap motion. He also believes that the Giants offense will be special if everything comes together as drawn up.

"I feel like the offense is going to be pretty good. We’ve just got to lock in; all 11 need to play as one," he said.