Projected Chiefs depth chart if Kadarius Toney nightmare becomes reality

It's all rainbows and unicorns after the Kansas City Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl, but for much of last season, fans were endlessly frustrated with several offensive focal points. Patrick Mahomes is the closest we'll get to a 10th-level wizard in football. He can make a lot of stuff happen with very little. Even Mahomes, however, needs (or at least wants) a half-decent receiving corps around him.

The Chiefs' WR room was a mess last season, tainted by inexperience and unmet expectations. One of the few bright spots was rookie Rashee Rice, who now faces legal repercussions for a dangerous car accident he caused on a Dallas, TX highway. He is currently on the active roster, but a looming suspension could yank him from the rotation at a moment's notice.

Kansas City selected Texas speedster Xavier Worthy in the first round of April's NFL Draft, but counting on a rookie to anchor your Super Bowl-winning wideout corps is a risky bet. Hollywood Brown was a nice free agent addition — Kansas City is essentially stockpiling Tyreek Hill knockoffs — but he, too, is not a traditional WR1. The Chiefs are going to lean heavily on Mahomes to make their positional hodgepodge work.

Much to the chagrin of Chiefs fans everywhere, we also have to account for 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney, a time-proven bust who registered five drops on just 38 targets last season. Arguably the most disappointing player from a disappointing regular season, Toney has led the Chiefs to at least contemplate change. It may not be the change fans desire, though.

The Chiefs are giving Toney practice reps at running back. While most Kansas City fans would prefer to cut ties and move on, this is certainly an intriguing (if ultimately not very compelling) attempt to reinvent Toney's NFL career. He has the speed and athleticism to do damage out of the backfield and he can't drop a handoff (right?).

Here's what the depth chart could look like if Toney makes the switch.

Projected Kansas City Chiefs RB depth chart with Kadarius Toney

Presumably, Toney would operate strictly in a change-of-pace role. Pacheco is cemented as the Chiefs' primary early-down workhorse, grinding out yards between the tackles and punishing defensive linemen with his physicality in short-yardage situations. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, meanwhile, has operated effectively as a third-down, pass-catching RB in Kansas City for years.

Toney and Edwards-Helaire would be the primary point of contention in training camp and beyond. Whether Chiefs fans like it or not, moving Toney to the backfield does not mean he's only receiving handoffs straight up the middle. He would be sent in motion and asked to run routes, catching passes from different (and, ideally, more productive) areas of the field.

The WR depth chart, meanwhile, looks different (but still uninspiring) without Toney in the mix.

Projected Kansas City Chiefs WR depth chart without Kadarius Toney

Toney's loss here is not deeply felt, although the Chiefs still lack dependable options. If Kansas City mounts any aggressive trades over the next few months, expect WR to be a position the front office addresses. It's hard to build out the depth chart with so much money allocated to Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Travis Kelce, among others, but the Chiefs cannot let the WR room hold them back again. There's no reason not to improve Mahomes' weapons cache.

If he does transition to RB, it will be fascinating to see if Toney can salvage his reputation and his career. The Chiefs' fandom has not been patient with the 25-year-old, who has received countless unearned endorsements from Andy Reid and the coaching staff. It's time for Toney for put up or shut up. Kansas City has one goal — winning the Super Bowl — and if Toney can't contribute to that pursuit, he serves little purpose on the Chiefs' roster.