The Kansas City Chiefs had a brutal day of practice on Thursday. A total of five Chiefs players were taken off of the practice field on an injury cart. Among these players was controversial wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster.

According to PJ Green, a reporter for Fox 4 that was present at training camp, Toney was injured after taking a hit from cornerback DJ Miller. Green posted on X (formerly Twitter), “WR Kadarius Toney bending over and he’s talking to trainer Rick Burkholder and pointed to his right lower leg.

“Went up for a high ball and came down weird and hard off of a bit with DJ Miller … body kind of flew in the air. Trying to walk it off but he looks dejected and Rick has his helmet.”

Toney apparently suffered an ankle injury.

Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Gave an Update on the Kadarius Toney Injury

According to Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire, head coach Andy Reid did not know that Toney was hurt initially, nor does he know when the controversial wide receiver will be able to get back to practice:

“Well, listen, I mean, you want to be there every day, and so anytime you miss, especially during install days, you’re missing a load there,” said Reid. “So, he’s got to take care of what he’s got and get himself back out there.

“Yeah, at that time, I didn’t know he was banged up, but I was just, let’s keep rolling. He had a play before that; he went up to get it,” said Reid. “I think that’s probably where he got hurt, but I didn’t know that then. But just stay on top of it. Just keep squeezing.”

Chiefs fans may especially remember how frustrating Toney was last season. Indeed, his entire career has been rather underwhelming since the New York Giants took him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

So frustrating was Toney as a rookie that the Giants ended up trading him to Kansas City early in the 2022 season. As a rookie in 2021, Toney had 39 receptions for 420 yards and no touchdowns in 10 games.

After being traded to the Chiefs in 2022, Toney had 14 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns in just seven games played.

Last year, Toney had 27 receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown in 13 games. Kansas City, as fans may remember well, decided not to include him on their Super Bowl roster because they did not believe he was reliable enough.

Kadarius Toney Cannot Afford to Miss Any Time for the Kansas City Chiefs

As Reid said in his press conference, anytime you miss, especially during install days, you’re missing a load there. So, he’s got to take care of what he’s got and get himself back out there.”

The fact of the matter is that Toney is not a lock for Kansas City’s 53-man roster. While it is unfortunate that he got hurt, the injury is just one more reason why the Chiefs may not keep the former first-round pick. They declined his fifth-year option, so 2024 is the final year of his rookie contract.

Cutting him would not cost the Chiefs very much.

In other words, Kansas City has had more reason to release Toney than keep him, and not being able to practice seriously hurts his chances of making the team.