3 Chiefs who will be the next Week 1 scapegoat with Kadarius Toney off the hook

Oh, Kadarius Toney, you will be missed. While Chiefs fans are rightly happy Toney is gone -- this is the same guy who lined up offsides on far too many occasions and called out the team prior to their second straight Super Bowl -- he still provided an easy out after pretty much any loss.

Toney, despite having a Super Bowl ring to his name, is a losing player who made mistakes...often. That's why when things didn't go the Chiefs way, they'd gang up on Toney as a sense of camaraderie. Toney's teammates defended him on countless occasions, and the Chiefs would have a chance to rebound the next week.

Every NFL team has a scapegoat, even the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. With Toney off the roster and headed...well, we're not sure yet, Kansas City's next least-favorite player or person (it could even be you!) will reveal themselves on Thursday night, especially if the Chiefs lose. Here are some likely options.

3. Jawaan Taylor is a Chiefs penalty waiting to happen

For what it's worth, Jawaan Taylor is one the best right tackles in the AFC at his best. However, he's also not at his best all the time. Taylor has a tendency to get a head start on offensive snaps, especially at Arrowhead, where he's given the benefit of the doubt more often than not. However, if the officiating crew opts NOT to let Taylor off the hook, thus calling him for a number of offsides penalties, Chiefs fans will become frustrated quickly.

Taylor had a rough 2023 season. The Chiefs signed him to replace Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie by proxy, and he didn't live up to the hype. Still, Taylor kept his cool and believes he can have a bounce-back year.

"I wasn't really frustrated," Taylor said. "At the end of the day, I'm here to play football and do my job and just try to help the team win. I wasn't really frustrated about it – just had to keep doing my thing and try to get better every week."

His history suggests Taylor should be better in 2024, but if he gets off to a rough start, Chiefs fans could turn on him quickly.

2. Skyy Moore is still on the Chiefs roster for now

Skyy Moore evidently showed enough in training camp to earn a roster spot over the likes of Toney and Justyn Ross, a former Clemson product and fan favorite who failed to make the team. Moore is a former second-round pick, so the Chiefs have a lot invested in him. While he's shown flashes at times, Moore's route-running is suspect, and more importantly, he struggles to stay on the field. That's not his fault -- injuries are part of the game -- but it's put up or shut up time for the Western Michigan product.

Moore's preseason tape didn't look great, but Andy Reid remained confident in his wide receiving corps, and the player himself. Reid encouraged Moore to let loose and allow his play to do the talking.

"He’s a few years into this thing now," Reid explained. "Just cut loose and play through it. Go play, and he’s doing a nice job with that. He’s actually playing good football right now."

In the end, Moore's potential, plus the strength of the Chiefs receiving room as a whole, let them take a flyer on the 23-year-old. A drop or two early in the game won't help his case, though.

1. JuJu Smith-Schuster has a lot to prove for the Chiefs

The Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster just prior to the roster cutdown, which sent a clear message to Toney and Ross that they were on the outs. He faces many of the same questions as Moore, but with a more proven pedigree. Smith-Schuster won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs and earned a fat contract with the Patriots as a result.

In New England, he couldn't gel with Mac Jones or the revolving door the Patriots had a quarterback during his tenure. Injuries, along with a young receiving corps looking for opportunities, had much to do with the Patriots decision to release him, as Jerod Mayo admitted.

"It was a decision between Eliot and myself really to give the younger guys an opportunity to go out there and get more reps and show what they can do," Mayo said. When asked if injuries played a role as well, Mayo said "that’s part of it. At the same time, we just want him to get healthy. He still has some good ball left in him. I wish him nothing but the best."

JuJu is hobbled, and not the player he once was. He will not be as successful as he was during his first Chiefs stint, but he should remain a sure-handed possession receiver who can help on third down. If not, it won't take long for Kansas City fans to turn on another one of their wideouts.