Set the tone, sit the Toney?
It hasn’t been the most successful start to Kadarius Toney’s career. He has dealt with injuries, he has gotten himself in some hot water, and he hasn’t seen much on-field action since being selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Still, a new coaching regime should have afforded him a fresh start, right? Not quite. Through two games, Toney has played 35 total snaps, although his usage did tick up to 28 in Week 2 vs. the Panthers.
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Toney reportedly entered Week 1 still recovering from an offseason surgery (and he is listed as doubtful for Week 3 vs. the Cowboys with a hamstring injury), but Brian Daboll and his staff made it clear recently that there’s more than just health going on with the wideout.
So, sorry, fantasy football owners, unless something changes week to week, you may not get as much Toney as you were expecting.
The Sporting News looks at what’s going on with Toney in 2022:
What happened to Kadarius Toney?
Toney flashed at times as a rookie, but he mostly underwhelmed while dealing with injuries, inconsistency and the general ineptitude of former coach Joe Judge.
His usage in Year 2 with Brian Daboll now at the helm has been puzzling, although there are at least two reasons: his recovery from offseason knee surgery and the Giants’ desire to cultivate competition within the position groups.
Daboll explained his stance on Toney after Week 1:
Kadarius is working his way back. Those are the plays. We had more than just seven plays for him, but they weren’t called. And we’ll see what happens this week. The guys that were out there, we have confidence in. We have confidence in Kadarius. I think, again, I’ve mentioned this before a couple of weeks ago with our receiver position: It’s a competitive situation. And they’ll be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
So, relative to inactives or play time or amount of plays, everybody’s got to earn their role. One week it might be a whole game; one week it might be less. But Kadarius has done a good job of learning our stuff. I have no concerns about him knowing our information.
Daboll delivered the same message after the Giants’ Week 2 win over the Panthers. He said that the wide receiver room is a constant work in progress, with competition at the forefront of what is expected from the group:
It’s a continual competition at receiver. I’ve said it since, when? I’m not being a jerk. I’ve said it since the middle of camp, right? It hasn’t changed. It’s going to be a continual competition.
Kadarius had opportunities today, and we’ll see what it is next week: maybe it’s (Darius) Slayton, maybe it’s more (Kenny Golladay). We’ll see where we go with that. But I think that position, we’re just going to keep on rolling guys and play the guys that week that we think would give us the best chance. And the other guys got to be ready as backups.
But that, too, is puzzling. With Toney’s snaps limited, Golladay having issues with the offense and the Giants in general, rookie Wan’Dale Robinson injured and Slayton consistently inconsistent, it would make sense to put the most talented players on the field as often as possible. It doesn’t seem as if there’s much room for competition.
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In any case, the Giants’ usage of Toney hasn’t hindered them on their way to a 2-0 record. It is, though, worth watching whether Toney makes his way onto the field or the bench.
Giants WR depth chart
The Giants don’t have a de facto No. 1 receiver on the roster. Kenny Golladay was expected to be that player when he signed to a four-year, $72 million contract with Big Blue in 2021, but the results haven’t been there.
Here’s how the Giants’ unofficial wide receiver depth chart looked as of Sept. 20:
| Rank | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Golladay |
| 2 | Wan’Dale Robinson (injured) |
| 3 | Kadarius Toney |
| 4 | David Sills |
| 5 | Richie James |
| 6 | Sterling Shepard |
| 7 | Darius Slayton |
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