Chiefs are hoping Kadarius Toney can become their new Tyreek Hill

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't need Tyreek Hill, but they were certainly explosive and darn-near-unstoppable with his downfield abilities.

Hill was a luxury with an offense featuring Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. That's why they traded the speedy wideout to the Miami Dolphins and that's why the Chiefs went on to still win the Super Bowl despite trading away a player who had caught 56 touchdowns for them over his first six seasons.

With that said, it sure would be nice for Kansas City to have a Hill-esque player as it chases a third Super Bowl win in the Mahomes era, and it sounds like the Chiefs feel they could have that type of player in 

Kadarius Toney — who they traded for mid-season in 2022.

“He’s predominately been a guy that is a slot receiver, returner, runner — a gadget guy, if you will — but I don’t know if there is a limit on his game because he has a vertical game,’’ Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said, per ESPN. “I don’t know if [his collegiate team at Florida was] one that vertically pushed the ball down the field, and his time early on in New York, I don’t know if they were a team that really vertically pushed the ball down the field.

“It’s a fair question to [ask]: ‘Has he ever played with a quarterback that likes to push the ball down the field?’ We have a lot of high hopes for him. He was a first-round pick for a reason. There’s a reason why we traded for him and we felt like he was first-round talent.”

Kansas City traded a 2023 third-round compensatory pick as well as a 2023 sixth-round pick for Toney. He went on to catch three touchdowns with K.C., including one in the Super Bowl win. It was an impressive turnaround for Toney and a bit more proof behind the theory that sometimes all a player needs is a change of scenery if things aren't working out. 

Speaking of working out, it's worth noting that Mahomes is bullish on Toney's future with the Chiefs

"With Kadarius, I think you saw what the upside this last year of how special of a talent he can be. To have him in that offense another year, have him working with coach Reid and how we practice and training camp, I think it’ll have his body in the best shape that you can possibly be in to go out there and be healthy all season long," Mahomes said.