We'll consider this a teaching moment for Kadarius Toney. We all have them, after all.
Toney celebrated the birth of his child over AFC Championship weekend. As a result, he did not play in the game, and was listed as out due to an ankle injury and personal reasons. Toney was seemingly unhappy about that and took to Instagram to call out the Chiefs for supposedly lying about his injury status.
Andy Reid shut all of that down postgame. The Chiefs weren't fined. All is well, except for Toney, who may not receive as much playing time as he'd like in the Super Bowl.
"He's been on the injury report, that part is not made up by any means," Reid said. "He's been working through some things and he'll be back out there."
Kadarius Toney is at Chiefs practice, learned a lesson from Andy Reid
We haven't heard much from Toney since then. Some have called for his release after the season, which would cost the Chiefs just over $5.5 million in dead cap money. Toney hasn't played much of a role this season or since he was acquired from the New York Giants. If anything, he's proven to be more of a headache than most.
With a Super Bowl on the line, Toney wants to be involved. He returned to practice this week and is ready to make an impact wherever the team needs him.
#Chiefs Kadarius Toney (personal) spotted participating during Thursday's practice in Kansas City @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/eJFHbd8Wc5
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladdtv) February 1, 2024
Toney has missed six straight games and has played in just one contest since he lined up offsides prior to Travis Kelce's legendary catch and lateral, which was called back due to his penalty. As frustrating as Toney has been at times, there's no denying his talent and potential with the ball in his hands.
Reid knows this, which is why keeping him fresh and involved at practice is the right decision, even if it doesn't send the right message.