3 teams dumb enough to take a chance on Kadarius Toney after Chiefs waive him

The Kansas City Chiefs officially axed Kadarius Toney from the 53-man roster on Tuesday, ending almost two years of suffering in the fandom. Okay, Chiefs fans haven't actually suffered — Toney is a two-time Super Bowl champ — but his presence on the roster has been an unfortunate stain for an otherwise great team.

Not all of it is Toney's fault, but he struggled under the burden of extreme expectations. A former first-round pick, the "talented" label has been lorded over Toney throughout his career. He is a world-class athlete, a former college standout, and accordingly, he is supposed to be a great NFL wide receiver. Alas, the pieces never came together in Kansas City.

Last season was a real trial for Toney, who registered five drops compared to only 27 receptions in 13 appearances. From various injuries to mind-numbing mistakes, not much went right for the 25-year-old. He battled hard to crack the Chiefs' final roster, as Andy Reid will attest, but Kansas City just could not justify keeping him around. Even with ongoing questions in the WR room.

Still, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport ominously reports, Toney's story "isn't done yet." There will be a market for his services, and it's not hard to predict which WR-needy contenders and pretenders might come knocking.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers' top wideouts are Joshua Palmer (581 yards, 2 TD last season) and rookie Ladd McConkey. I am as staunch a believer in Ladd McConkey as you will find, but it's hard to justify such a weak and inexperienced WR room when Justin Herbert is your quarterback. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman love to run the football, but Herbert necessitates a certain emphasis on moving it through the air.

As such, the Chargers could be very easily tempted into a low-risk, high-reward (?) swing on Toney. His next contract won't cost much and it's not like Toney will be tethered to Los Angeles long term. He would essentially profile as a pure upside swing — a fifth or sixth wideout with the tools to become a second or third wideout if all the pieces fall into place.

Now, it's just plain dumb to bet on said pieces falling into place at this point, but Toney is 25 and teams are bound to invest in the theoretical upside that has fueled his career to date. Herbert is a great QB for any wideout who needs a boost in production, and Toney might actually have a path to significant reps in LA.

It helps that he would be in the same division as Kansas City. Not that the Chargers profile as an immediate threat to the Chiefs' crown, but it offers Toney the chance to exact some revenge twice per season for as long as he sticks on LA's roster.

2. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are about to toss Drake Maye to the wolves, Mac Jones style. I am of the belief that Maye can handle those wolves better than Jones, but it's never wise to hang your talented rookie out to dry with a god-awful supporting cast. New England needs to address the O-line first and foremost, but next up on the priorities list is an upgrade (or several upgrades) to the WR room.

Now... is Kadarius Toney an upgrade? That is up for debate, obviously. But in terms of pure upside, few waiver-wire options are shinier than Toney. He has that 'former first-round pick' veneer. The Patriots aren't exactly flush with playmaking talent, so there's real room for Toney to blossom, or at least attempt to blossom.

The Patriots also aren't saddled with high expectations. The NFL is a cutthroat league and there will be eyeballs on first-time head coach Jerod Mayo, but we all know the Patriots are bad. Maybe the worst team in the NFL, straight up. That is sort of a liberating truth. Even if Toney drops a few passes and stumbles into a few unwise turnovers, the Patriots can justify it as developmental hurdles — growing pains. Such a luxury was not afforded to Toney on the Chiefs.

Drake Maye needs as much help as he can get, because it sure sounds like Jacoby Brissett is trending toward backup duties sooner than later. The Patriots can probably do more to help Maye than a Toney pickup, but this sure feels like a plausible destination for the controversial wideout.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

With Brandon Aiyuk talks on hold, we don't really know what the Pittsburgh Steelers' WR room will look like next season. What we do know is, the offense still needs help. A lot of it. Neither Justin Fields nor Russell Wilson impressed in preseason action and the Steelers' offense looked as anemic as ever. We shouldn't pen definitive takeaways after a few warmup games, but it's hard not to be alarmed by the Steelers' ongoing aversion to scoring points.

George Pickens has compelling upside as the Steelers' No. 1 wideout, but the depth chart beyond him is a mess and a half. Brandon Aiyuk would help, but even then, depth would not be a strength of the Steelers' pass-catching corps. There is a well-defined need for bodies and upside at the position. Toney is a natural fit as a result.

I'll let FanSided's resident Steelers fan Mark Powell explain the connection.

"As much as it pains me to say, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in need of wide receiver help. Omar Khan is no doubt scavenging the bargain bin in hopes of identifying a WR2 with some upside to play next to George Pickens. Van Jefferson is not that guy, and Roman Wilson is only a rookie. Toney, at the very least, would provide some explosive depth. Sure, he's a headache, but Mike Tomlin specializes in those at the wide receiver position."

Kadarius Toney is the Mike Tomlin special, a talented mess. Arthur Smith loves to spread the wealth and involve every cog in his offensive machine, so Toney would be sure to receive a steady diet of opportunities, especially when his main competition for touches is, what, Van Jefferson?

Pittsburgh also offers Toney a chance to be competitive. Even without much of an offense to speak of, Tomlin will probably have this team clawing its way to a Wild Card berth by season's end. Pittsburgh has a promising track record of maximizing or at least elevating disparate parts, so it's as good a spot as any for Toney to write his next chapter.