Kansas City wants to return to its explosive best in 2024

Controversial Chiefs player's surprise 'new role' revealed in Patrick Mahomes' offense

Lapresse

Expectations in Kansas City are higher than ever entering the 2024 NFL season. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are aiming to make history by becoming the first team ever to win the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons — and they will not accept passengers.

Every player on the 53-man roster decided by head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach has to pull their weight if the Chiefs are to stand alone in the annals of NFL lore. One of the offense’s more controversial contributors, who had some interesting usage earlier in training camp, might be disheartened to see where he is on Kansas City’s initial depth chart.

Toney tumbles down the depth chart

Prior to their preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chiefs have released their first unofficial depth chart, which shows where the coaching staff feels their best players rank on offense and defense. And the first depth chart has wide receiver Kadarius Toney listed as a fifth-string pass-catcher.

Toney, a former first-round pick, suffered an ankle injury last week that could have conditioned his current placement on the depth chart. The Chiefs gave Toney reps at running back to begin training camp after the former New York Giant had a difficult 2023 season, drawing Mahomes‘ ire for dropping passes and — especially — for committing an offensive offsides penalty in a loss to the rival Buffalo Bills.

Toney also claimed that the Chiefs were lying about his health during last year’s playoff run, which led many to believe that his stint in Kansas City would end after Super Bowl LVIII. Toney is a free agent after the 2024 season anyway, and the earliest indications are that his future — short- and long-term — will not be tied to the champs.