Chiefs are gambling on this year’s Kadarius Toney to elevate offense

Despite the tenor around the Kansas City Chiefs offense this season, Patrick Mahomes and Co. haven't actually been bad. Coming out of Week 11 and the team's first loss of the season, the offense ranks ninth in Offensive DVOA, though they are just 14th in Passing DVOA. However, it's safe to say that the offense has both looked far more disjointed and, perhaps more pressingly, hasn't looked like the world-beater we've seen in years past.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has already worked to remedy that in-season after losing both Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Rashee Rice to injury. The marquee move in that regard was acquiring DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. Hopkins has been a positive impact for Kansas City but still hasn't been a game-changer.

The organization's latest move isn't a game-changer either. However, it does feel quite similar to the Chiefs acquiring Kadarius Toney back in 2022, albeit at far less of a cost.

Earlier this week, Kansas City signed Tyquan Thornton to the practice squad following his release from the New England Patriots. And as he joined the team and Mahomes got a look at him, the quarterback's comments regarding his first impressions were eerily similar to what we saw when Toney came on board.

Mahomes glowed about the big-play ability with Thornton while also noting that he was surprised how big the former Patriot was upon seeing him on the practice field. And while there are no promises for a practice squad addition, it does seem lik the Chiefs star quarterback thinks there might be a role for him to play.

Chiefs gamble on Tyquan Thornton sounds like Kadarius Toney 2.0

Calling someone Toney 2.0, of course, isn't exactly a compliment for the Chiefs. Despite his talent, the former first-round pick proved highly enigmatic and, ultimately, to be more of a headache than anything of substance for the offense. That's a big part of the reason the Giants were willing to trade him away so quickly.

Thornton doesn't carry that same label, to be sure. However, he was highly drafted by New England — a second-round pick in 2022 — after a blazing 4.28-second 40-yard dash time at the Combine and coming off a 10-touchdown final season with Baylor. With the Patriots, though, he could never find his footing.

Injuries played a role in that but, even in the 28 games he played, he still totaled a meager 39 receptions for only 385 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in his rookie campaign.

Having said that, the prodigious physical tools that led to Thornton being drafted where he was remain a huge factor. At this point and with how snake-bitten the Chiefs pass-catchers have been, there's a reason to take a swing on Thornton just as there was a reason to gamble on Toney. The talent is worth trying to develop and utilize because, well, the alternative is not having another option at all.

Maybe it ends up being a nothing burger for the Kansas City offense. But it is a low-key move that you can easily see the logic behind. One thing that's for sure, though, is that Chiefs fans can rest easier knowing that, even if Thornton doesn't work out, he's all but guaranteed to induce fewer migraines than Toney.