3 Chiefs players who need to step up after Mecole Hardman injury

1. Kadarius Toney

To no one’s surprise, Kadarius Toney tops the list as the biggest Chiefs player to step up in the absence of Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Toney is the one who was named the Chiefs punt returner this week, with special teams coordinator Dave Toub offering a glowing review of what fans can expect of Toney via Arrowhead Pride.

"“I can’t wait to see him get a ball kicked to him. We haven’t had that option, really. [The Jaguars] did a good job last week of using the sidelines and hanging the ball up pretty good. Sooner or later, he’s going to get one kicked to him and we’re going to find out what he’s got. But I got a pretty good feeling about it, though.”"

It’s not just Toub who is excited about Toney’s potential on the Chiefs offense and special teams unit. Teammate Travis Kelce described Toney’s ability to casually catch punts on his “New Heights” podcast.

"“I’ve never seen anyone catch punts like this. I would assume all the great ones do it like this… It’s one of the coolest things.”"

Travis admitted to his brother and podcast co-host Jason Kelce that he doesn’t understand why the Giants would allow Toney to be traded, speaking at length about how Toney is a brilliant, hard-working player who has integrated seamlessly into the Chiefs offense.

Once again, it was Toney who saw that increased snap count in Week 10 with 28 snaps, and Toney did a lot more with his snaps than Watson was able to manage. Mahomes targeted Toney on five passes, four of which Toney caught for 57 yards and a touchdown. Remarkably, Toney caught one of those passes while adjusting his gloves mid-route, a testament to his undeniable talent.

Toney is absolutely the Chiefs receiver to watch in the coming weeks, and the Chiefs couldn’t have slotted him into the offense at a better time. A truly dynamic receiver, Toney has found a way to make an electrifying offense even more captivating.

With Toney on the field, the ball will remain in good hands.