Chiefs fans will love 1 cut predicted to happen this offseason

Despite winning the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs struggled significantly through the 2023 season, or at least more than they should have. The defense led the team as quarterback Patrick Mahomes shuttled around the field looking for available receivers.

Under head coach Andy Reid’s West Coast system, the Chiefs offense became known for their high-flying aerial attack. In 2023, Kansas City’s mighty passing attack regressed. With turnstile offensive tackles and lackluster wide receivers ending drives, the Chiefs were forced to rely on discipline and defense to win games.

The approach relegated the team’s franchise quarterback to mere managerial duties. When Mahomes was able to connect with receivers, they often dropped the ball: The Chiefs led the league in dropped passes with 44, resulting in a league-leading 6.9 percent drop rate.

It’s a situation that Reid and general manager Brett Veach would prefer to avoid in 2024. Kansas City restocked their offensive weaponry during the offseason. The Chiefs signed wide receiver Marquise Brown in free agency and selected Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After struggling with injuries and dropped passes, wide receiver Kadarius Toney has worn out his welcome among fans.

Kadarius Toney may be the next roster cut for the Chiefs

Bleacher Report's David Kenyon compiled a list featuring the most likely player to be cut from each NFL team this offseason. Kenyon believes Toney is an “expendable piece” for the Chiefs and listed the struggling wideout as the prevailing choice to be released by the Chiefs. 

"The idea of Kadarius Toney has been far more exciting than his performance in three NFL seasons," Kenyon wrote. 

It's a dramatic turn from 2022, when Kansas City acquired the former first-round pick in a midseason trade with the New York Giants during the 2022 NFL season. 

Toney seemed to be underutilized in New York and made an immediate splash with the Chiefs, catching the team's first pass in a winning October 27 debut. Toney wasn’t used frequently in that first season, but there were flashes of potential in clutch plays. In his seven games with the Chiefs that season, he averaged 24.4 receiving yards per game with a career-best 82.4% catch rate. 

The injury-plagued receiver won over Kansas City fans with his performance in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Toney set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, then caught a touchdown pass that gave the Chiefs their first lead of the game.

Since then, Toney seems to have worn out his welcome in Kansas City. 

Toney was expected to handle a bigger workload during the 2023 season, but he was unable to live up to the expectations.

Toney, who was one of the key culprits for the Chiefs’ dropped passes, finished the 2023 season with five dropped passes. In a Week 14 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Toney was called for an offside penalty, negating what would have been a go-ahead touchdown with a minute remaining. The following week, Toney's dropped pass turned into an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Toney was listed as inactive for seven consecutive games to conclude the season, including the postseason.

His 2023 season was lackluster by comparison. Toney posted a 71.1 percent catch rate and averaged just 13 receiving yards per game. He finished the season with 200 scrimmage yards on 38 total touches.

If the Chiefs listed Toney as inactive for the final seven games of the season with an underperforming wide receiver corps, it’s hard to imagine they’d want him back after their new additions this offseason. 

Still, Toney only has a $2.5 million salary cap hit this season, and Kansas City would absorb the entire figure in dead cap by releasing him. That may be enough to keep Toney around, especially with a potential suspension lingering for wide receiver Rashee Rice.