Chiefs Receiver Toney's Penalties Sink Preseason Debut

Going from Daniel Jones to Patrick Mahomes is the type of circumstance change that can catapult a career from the brink of irrelevance. For Kansas City Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney, it meant more of the same, with the addition of a Super Bowl ring to his trophy case.

But for an uber-athletic weapon with first-round pedigree, it takes more than a slow start to run out of lives.

Toney had another opportunity to prove himself to a Kansas City team that continues to put its faith in him on Saturday when it hosted the Detroit Lions.

The Chiefs lost 24-23 to fall to 0-2 in the preseason.

It didn’t take him long to garner attention for the wrong reasons.

On Toney’s first play of the preseason, he committed two penalties. He lined up improperly by covering tight end Irv Smith Jr. before the snap, and then proceeded to commit a holding penalty.

Toney, in limited opportunities, didn’t make up for the slip up with his production. On a day where the offense was confident enough to pull off behind-the-back passes and target 16 different receivers, Toney continued to struggle.

He was targeted twice for one reception and a loss of four yards.

It was an unimpressive showing for a receiver whose most memorable moments revolve around headline-worthy penalties and is yet to take any of the developmental steps he was expected to take.

Related: Mahomes, Worthy Shine in First Half vs. Lions

Different organizations and roles have netted little in the form of progress, and with upgrades to the receiver room this offseason, it would be increasingly unsurprising for Toney to fall out of favor.

Simply put, he’s been trending in the wrong direction for too long to not be a name to watch as roster cutdowns loom.