Chiefs Finally Reveal Reason for Kadarius Toney's Recent Absence

The Kansas City Chiefs were back on the practice field Wednesday as they continued to prepare for Saturday's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Several Chiefs players were absent from the latest practice session, including wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

Toney, 25, has been dealing with injury issues all summer (and throughout his NFL career), so it's understandable that Chiefs fans were concerned when he missed Wednesday's session without an explanation.

Fast forward to a few hours after practice ended and Chiefs Kingdom finally knows the reason behind Toney's latest absence.

Chiefs Injury News: Kadarius Toney Dealing with Back Issue

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had injury updates regarding a handful of players on Wednesday, including Toney. Reid revealed that the fourth-year wideout had his "back tighten up on him," per Arrowhead Pride's Pete Sweeney.

If it was his ankle acting up again, it'd be one thing. But the fact that Toney seems pulling a Thanos by gathering new injuries as if they were Infinity Stones is concerning.

Considering how the Chiefs don't practice at all over the next two days, it's hard to imagine Toney suiting up against the Jaguars this weekend. If anything, it's more likely that he plays against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 17 (assuming that he can get healthy by then).

If you've been following Toney's career, you know that his battle with injuries isn't new. Since being drafted 20th overall by the New York Giants in 2021, the former Florida playmaker has only played in 32 of a possible 51 regular season games — an availability rate of just 62.7%.

Toney's lengthy injury history is the main reason why he hasn't been able to achieve consistency at the NFL level. It seems like injuries always take him out whenever he begins to build momentum. At the same time, he hasn't been the most productive pass-catcher when he is available, as proven by his only recording 27 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown in 13 games last season.

If the 25-year-old wideout can't put his injury struggles behind him, his time with the Chiefs could be over shortly. He was already on thin ice due to his lackluster production and his situation is only growing more dire now that Kansas City's unofficial depth chart points to Toney being near the bottom of the WR mix.

Throw in the fact that he's seemingly always involved in off-field drama and it's easy to see why Toney's outlook with the franchise is grim.

Based on last season's results (or lack thereof), the Chiefs likely don't need Toney to go on another championship run. The defending Super Bowl Champions are currently DraftKings Sportsbook's +500 favorite to win their third straight Lombardi Trophy next February.

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