Eric Bieniemy: Kadarius Toney brings ‘different dimension’ to offense

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy spoke glowingly about Kadarius Toney to open his time with reporters on Thursday.

The Kansas City Chiefs knew they had a chance for something special when they agreed to a trade for wide receiver Kadarius Toney shortly before the NFL’s trade deadline earlier this season. Toney was a top 20 draft pick just two springs ago who was originally projected to take the New York Giants offense to the next level. Yet 18 months later, he was being dumped for third and sixth-round picks.

For Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, those types of deals—buying low on former high-level assets—is a major part of his acquisition strategy. They’re measured swings for obvious upside, and it’s not hard to fault him for trying, even if they sometimes don’t work out.

This time, however, Toney might have given Veach one of his biggest hits yet. While the jury is still out so early in his NFL career, Toney has looked the part of an impact wideout since his arrival in K.C. and return from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of the fall.

While most fans knew that Toney was dangerous in space with elite-level athleticism, the rest of his well-rounded game has been a real surprise. He’s shown the ability to grab the contested catch and play much bigger than his size. He’s outmuscled bigger players for greater yardage and has a nose for the end zone when he’s close. He’s a solid blocker and a quick study and these are all things that weren’t exactly celebrated qualities about him when in the Big Apple.

Eric Bieniemy spoke highly of Toney during his time with Chiefs reporters on Thursday as the team took questions for coordinators. Bieniemy didn’t mince words about his young wideout and had a lot of great things to say.

“KT is doing a heckuva job,” said Bieniemy. “He’s a very talented player. On top of that, he works at it. He’s very intelligent. He’s interactive in meetings. He studies. It’s personal to him. I think what has helped him in growing faster is the chemistry that we have here because the guys have welcomed him with open arms. And so, he fits right in. He’s doing a heckuva job and we’re just looking forward for him to continue.

“He just brings a different dimension. Obviously, he’s a talented, skillful receiver. Obviously, you’ve seen him do a number of things. He’s run the ball. He’s made some catches all over the field. On top of that, he’s made some plays in the red zone where he’s gotten it in the end zone.  The thing that I like about him is that the kid is just a football player who just happens to play the receiver position. If you ask him to go block, guess what? He’ll go do it for 60 consecutive minutes. That’s just the kind of kid he is.”

Toney has 14 catches for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns as a receiver for the Chiefs. He’s also added another 5 rushes for 59 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground.