Andy Reid says Kadarius Toney underwent knee surgery this week

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney underwent knee surgery to clean up cartilage this week after tweaking it in practice, Andy Reid told reporters Tuesday.

Toney tweaked the knee Sunday at practice. Reid said Toney will have a chance of returning before the start of the season, according to ESPN.

Kansas City opens the 2023 season on Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions on primetime on NBC.

#Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters that WR Kadarius Toney had surgery to clean up cartilage in his knee after tweaking it the other day.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2023

Toney was acquired by the Chiefs in the middle of the 2022 season from the New York Giants. He played in seven games with 14 receptions for 171 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

“We’re going to miss KT, his ability to make a play out of nowhere and kind of gain that momentum,” tight end Travis Kelce said Monday, according to Chiefs beat writer Matt Derrick. “He was that piece for us in the Super Bowl, he was that piece for us throughout the season last year. Just getting that thing right – we’ve got all the confidence in the world in our training staff here to get him ready either by season or early on in the season. Got our fingers crossed that we get him back as soon as possible. It’s just letting him heal up and we’ll take care of the load until he gets back. But KT ain’t going anywhere, man, we miss that guy already.”

In the playoffs, he had seven catches for 50 yards and a score.

Toney was a key figure in the team’s Super Bowl LVII victory. In the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes found Toney for a five-year touchdown pass to put the team up 28-27.

He then returned a punt 65 yards to give Kansas City starting field position at the Eagles’ 5-yard line. The Chiefs scored again soon after to go up 35-27.

“I saw (an) opportunity,” Toney said after the game, which Kansas City won on a field goal by Harrison Butker in the final minute of the contest. “In that situation, I made the right return and the right decision.”

Drafted out of Florida with the 20th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Toney has dealt with injuries in all three of his professional seasons now. As a rookie, he missed games due to COVID protocols and an oblique injury. Last year, he missed games with a hamstring injury.

Kansas City acquired him for a third round pick and a sixth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.