The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs released wide receiver Kadarius Toney when they trimmed their roster down to 53 players on August 27. As he looks for his next team, Toney worked out for the Cleveland Browns on Friday, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
Toney also visited the Seattle Seahawks earlier this week. The New York Giants initially selected the Florida product in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. After hauling in 39 catches for 420 yards in his rookie season, Toney was traded to the Chiefs mid-season the following year.
Returning a punt for 65 yards in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs' 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, Toney put his fingerprints on last year's title while earning his second Super Bowl championship.
Will Kadarius Toney become Deshaun Watson, Browns' new offensive weapon?
In the wake of Kadarius Toney becoming a free agent, he could be on the verge of reaching his full potential. Historically, that tends to happen to some young NFL receivers once they're cut loose from a team and forced into a new change of scenery. The newfound pressure of wanting to stick around with their new team kicks in, and a team like the Browns could be a seamless fit for Toney.
While the Browns' receiving core is set with Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore, if Toney is signed, reprising his role as a special teams returner could be in play. Toney could make his presence felt on special teams or as one of Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson's latest targets.
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Either way, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is looking forward to opening the regular season at home, per Cleveland.com's Irie Harris.
“Great challenge this week, at home, against the defending NFC East Champions. Looking forward to that challenge. Looking forward to being at home for the home opener,” Stefanski said. “You know how important our crowd is to our success at home. It was certainly true at moments you just — last season I can think about how our team feeds off the energy of our crowd. I can think about how miserable our crowd can make it for the opposing offense. They’ve done unbelievable. So, excited to be at home for this one.”
The Browns host the Cowboys this Sunday.
