EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was the first practice of Kadarius Toney’s professional career and something was wrong on this sunny spring afternoon at rookie minicamp. Just two weeks after the New York Giants had traded back and made him the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the wide receiver sat on the sideline trying to adjust his right cleat.
He changed cleats. He added socks. He took them off. He sat down, stood up, returned to drills, came back out. It was a seemingly practice-long process before he eventually exited early. At one point, Toney was running through the agility ladder catching footballs wearing one cleat during a drill on the Quest Diagnostics practice field.
Toney later admitted to having the “wrong size” cleats. One coach later tried to explain it as Toney having not worn socks at the University of Florida. So when he wore socks with these new cleats, the fit was too tight.
It was the start of a string of unusual circumstances that preceded the Giants trading Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 27. The Giants received third- and sixth-round picks in this year’s draft; the Chiefs acquired depth at wide receiver and Toney landed a chance to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's Super Bowl (6:30 p.m. Fox). He’s dealing with ankle and hamstring injuries after having left the AFC Championship Game with the ankle problem, though he is expected to be available Sunday.
Toney, 24, missed 12 of a possible 24 games with the Giants because of various injuries and a pair of bouts with COVID-19. During his time with the Giants, Toney dealt with hamstring, ankle, quad, oblique and knee injuries. He also irked the previous Giants regime by not showing up to voluntary OTAs in the spring of 2021.
With the Chiefs, Toney missed three games because of a hamstring issue and has been limited in several others. He lasted four offensive snaps in the AFC Championship Game before leaving hurt.
One former member of the Giants coaching staff told ESPN when the trade happened that he thinks Toney “will be an All-Pro” for the Chiefs. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has also been complimentary of his new teammate.
“He’s learned a lot fast,’’ Mahomes said recently. “We’ve been able to put him in [different] positions [because] he’s a smart guy, he plays hard, and whenever he’s got his opportunities, he’s made plays happen.’’
If he’s healthy and available, Toney has the kind of talent to be an All-Pro. But that is the problem first-year general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll had with Toney. They never knew what to expect.
When they moved him prior to the trade deadline, they said they were doing what was “best for the team,” even though the Giants were losing a dynamic receiver when they so desperately needed one.
The thought process at the time was that Schoen could possibly get more in a trade if he waited until after the season and Toney remained healthy. But there was still some risk in keeping Toney, whose stock would have fallen if suffered another injury, and he had exhausted two years of his rookie contract.
So the Giants took the assets, and it worked out well for them. New York (9-7-1) made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and was intent on building a new culture.
But the deal also made sense for the Chiefs. They were trying to win now and added a potential offensive weapon in an offense fit for Toney’s versatile skill set.
“He brings energy,’’ Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said of Toney recently. “I think his ability speaks for itself. He’s very quick, can put his foot in the ground with the best of them and he’s special with the ball in his hands.
“He’s one of those guys where his awareness is crazy. You think he’s got eyes in the back of his head because he sees guys coming from different angles and stuff. We haven’t seen the full arsenal that is him yet, but I think he’s definitely going to help us out in the near future, definitely in the long run, for sure.”
If Toney plays on Sunday, he could ultimately be the Chiefs’ top wide receiver, especially with three of the Chiefs’ other receivers sustaining injuries in the AFC Championship Game -- though JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson are both expected to play Sunday. Toney had a team-leading seven targets in a divisional-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has three touchdowns on 20 total touches with the Chiefs, including the playoffs. That exemplifies the kind of player he can be for his new team.