Despite whispers that the Giants could consider moving Kadarius Toney, it sounds like the receiver is set to start for the Giants next season. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Toney and Kenny Golladay are the “clear front-runners” to start at outside wide receiver next season.
Without context, this isn’t overly surprising news. Toney was a first-round pick in last year’s draft, and teams rarely bail on investments like that so quickly. Plus, the receiver actually showed flashes when he was on the field, finishing the campaign with 39 receptions for 420 yards (although a large portion of that production came in a standout 10-reception, 189-yard game against the Cowboys).
However, injuries have already turned into a concern for the young receiver. Toney was limited during his first training camp because of hamstring injuries, and ankle, oblique and quadriceps injuries limited him to only 10 games as a rookie. The wideout also had offseason arthroscopic knee surgery, although the operation isn’t expected to sideline him for training camp.
Further, Toney was continually in the news last season, stemming from on-the-field issues (like the time he wore the wrong cleats or time he was tossed from practice for throwing a punch) or off-the-field issues (like “a lack of playbook study” or “poor meeting behavior”). With a new regime leading the way, there were rumors that the Giants were looking to move on from the wideout, especially following the selection of second-round slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. GM Joe Schoen publicly said that he wasn’t shopping Toney, but reports indicated that the front office was at least listening to offers.
Since Toney has stuck around this long, it seems pretty clear that the receiver will be on the Giants for at least the 2022 campaign. Assuming all goes right, he should be able to hold off competition from the likes of Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton for reps.
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