Kadarius Toney had an elite skill in college. He flashed it in Chiefs debut vs. Titans
Receiver Kadarius Toney played only nine snaps in the Chiefs’ 20-17 overtime win over the Tennessee Titans after getting traded to Kansas City last week.
That didn’t stop him, though, from showing off one of his greatest strengths late in the first quarter during a 10-yard reception.
Toney, who originally was selected with the 20th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida, came to the NFL with the reputation of being lethal with one movement in particular: the “jerk” route.
Type “jerk route” into Google and a video of Toney at Florida is the first result. Before the 2021 NFL Draft, and NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein called Toney’s movement on that play “unguardable,” while Alabama coach Nick Saban previously complimented Toney by saying his jerk route and ability to change direction out of breaks was “fantastic.”
Chiefs fans got their first look at the movement Sunday, as Toney faked out Tennessee linebacker David Long Jr. to the point that he slipped to the turf before rallying to make a come-from-behind tackle.
So what happens on a “jerk”? Toney runs upfield a few steps, cuts quickly toward the sideline to sell an out-breaking route, then pivots back toward the middle of the field. The hope is to get isolated on the linebacker and have him commit outside, which often creates a vacancy between the hashes.
It’s exactly how this snap played out, as Long sold out on Toney’s first movement to the perimeter, which led to the defender partially falling over his feet.
“You saw he got open there,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of Toney afterward. “And as he gets more and more accustomed with the offense, we’ll keep adding him here and there and make our offense even better.”
Toney finished with two catches for 12 yards, while also pulling in a screen pass for two yards on the Chiefs’ first play. Though he was in for the first snap, Toney said he wasn’t necessarily expecting to get the opening touch.
“It was actually a great feeling,” Toney said. “When I got the ball, I was kind of shocked. Like, ‘He threw it up. Oh, Lord.’”
Toney said he was excited to return after missing the last five weeks with a listed hamstring injury. In one game with the Giants this season, he’d posted two catches for no yards.
The new receiver — acquired by the Chiefs from the New York Giants for a 2023 third- and sixth-round pick — described the atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night as “really legend.” He was also asked what he believes he can bring to KC’s offense.
“Really just dynamic ability,” Toney said. “I really don’t like to brag or talk about myself. I’d rather just play. I don’t need to do all that.”
On Toney’s nine snaps, he ran six routes and was targeted twice. The 6-foot, 193-pound Toney also had a physical chip block on Tennessee defensive end Jeffery Simmons, delivering such force that he knocked the 305-pound defensive tackle to the ground before continuing on his pattern.
Mahomes admitted the team didn’t throw much at Toney with the playbook, given it was just his first week.
The QB still came away encouraged by Toney’s effort while also praising his ability to get open.
“That’s the good thing about having so many receivers like we do is you don’t know where it’s gonna come from,” Mahomes said. “And I’ve said that since the beginning: When Travis (Kelce) is having good games and other guys are stepping up and making plays, then we’re a hard offense to stop.”
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This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
