Chiefs Rumors: Kadarius Toney Seen as 'First in Line' to Be WR1 for Patrick Mahomes

The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly believe wideout Kadarius Toney is "first in line to be their next No. 1 wide receiver," according to ESPN's Adam Teicher.

"We got him in here in the middle of the season and so there's only so much you can do with him," general manager Brett Veach said. "He's extremely smart so it's not going to be anything [with] grasping ideas or concepts. We were surprised with how quickly he picked it up. I think the sky is the limit for him."

The New York Giants originally selected Toney with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and he caught 39 passes for 420 yards as a rookie. The Chiefs then traded what ended up being picks No. 100 and 209 in this year's NFL draft to the Giants during the 2022 season to acquire him.

In seven regular-season games with the Chiefs, Toney caught 14 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, adding five carries for 59 yards and an additional score. He added 64 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in the team's postseason run to a Super Bowl title.

And the Chiefs believe he can make an impact in multiple ways going forward, as Veach said:

"He's predominately been a guy that is a slot receiver, returner, runner‚a gadget guy, if you will—but I don't know if there is a limit on his game because he has a vertical game. I don't know if [his collegiate team at Florida was] one that vertically pushed the ball down the field, and his time early on in New York, I don't know if they were a team that really vertically pushed the ball down the field."

"It's a fair question to [ask]: 'Has he ever played with a quarterback that likes to push the ball down the field?' We have a lot of high hopes for him. He was a first-round pick for a reason. There's a reason why we traded for him and we felt like he was first-round talent."

The Chiefs still have some questions at wideout, with a Toney leading a relatively unproven group that also includes Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Richie James and rookie Rashee Rice, a second-round pick.

The Chiefs temporarily replaced Tyreek Hill last season after his trade to the Miami Dolphins with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who responded with 78 catches for 933 yards and three scores. But he signed with the New England Patriots in the offseason, leaving question marks as to who might emerge as the Chiefs' WR1 this upcoming campaign.

Mahomes is expecting big things out of Toney.

"With Kadarius, I think you saw what the upside this last year of how special of a talent he can be," he said. "To have him in that offense another year, have him working with coach [Andy] Reid and how we practice and training camp, I think it'll have his body in the best shape that you can possibly be in to go out there and be healthy all season long. And so, we're excited for [him and Moore] to take those next steps within this offense."