4 September 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs look like they’ll have some key starters for opening night.
Head Coach Andy Reid said wide receiver Kadarius Toney and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed are currently “good to go” for KC’s season opener against the Detroit Lions on Thursday.
Toney appeared in training camp for one short practice session before sitting out the rest of camp after knee surgery for a torn meniscus. Sneed participated in some training camp sessions before sitting out with a knee issue of his own.
Both appeared in practice in full pads on Sunday.
Toney is the listed starter for the Chiefs alongside Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Chiefs expect big things from the Florida alum who played in parts of seven games last season hauling in 14 catches for 171 yards and two scores. He also played a key role in the Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles, catching a five-yard touchdown pass and returning a punt for 65 yards that set up another score.
Having him start Week 1 and stay healthy throughout the season would add another weapon to Kansas City’s high powered offense.
“He’s done a great job in the practices that he’s been in so far. And I’m, I’m looking forward to him [continuing] to step up and be even better and be more like his normal self,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “Honestly, going out there the first day and the first few days and seeing him, he looks like KT.
“So I’m excited for that. He put a lot of time in that rehab process so that he can get himself ready, hopefully to play in this first week.”
The defensive secondary is already in good hands with second-year corner Trent McDuffie, who is coming off of a dynamic rookie season, and having Sneed as the starter opposite to him makes them arguably one of the more underrated top corner duos in the NFL.
Second-year corners Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams back them up with both looking to build off of their own quality rookie seasons.
The only defensive starter missing for the season opener is defensive tackle Chris Jones who missed the entire offseason for his contract holdout.
Chiefs coaches and players have repeatedly stated that they will play with who is currently in the locker room and not worry about anyone else.
The Lions come into Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday with kickoff at 7:20 p.m.