Kadarius Toney has more apologies issued than yards gained after the first two games of his rookie season.
It speaks to all the strangeness on the field (and off it) right now around the Giants’ first-round draft pick, who has two catches for minus-2 yards on 21 total offensive snaps. He spoke Thursday to address “the elephant in the room” and explain that his first cryptic social-media message right after last week’s loss — a meme that read: “I don’t be mad s–t just be lame to me fr” — was not a criticism of the Giants. He also apologized for lumping all media together as “clowns” when he meant just a few who “create mess” within his inner circle.
“I know a lot of stuff was interpreted with me talking about the Giants. It had nothing to do with the Giants,” said Toney, who declined to specify what he actually was referring to. “I know a lot of people saw when I posted the media is this-and-that. That’s not meant for everybody.”
OK, now on to the X’s and O’s.
When the Giants picked Toney, skeptics wondered if his skill-set would mesh with coordinator Jason Garrett’s offense. “Good player, strange fit” is how one scout described it on draft night. Well, those concerns remain so far.
“He’ll be a piece of what we’re doing,” Garrett said before Thursday’s practice. “We have a lot of guys on offense that we like and we want to get the ball to. We were excited to draft Kadarius and we’re excited to play him. … Our guys are going to earn their opportunities to get a jersey, to play and to get [the ball] within the game.”
Garrett’s play-calling is heavy on curls and comeback routes and light on the deep throws, jet sweeps and receiver screens that made Toney so dynamic at Florida. The marriage of strengths was paused when Toney practiced just a handful of times over the spring and training camp due to various injuries and personal reasons.
“I feel pretty good in [my role] and where I’m at,” Toney said. “If y’all don’t see the progression going on by now, I guess y’all aren’t going to see it.”
The three receivers drafted ahead of Toney — Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins) and DeVonta Smith (Eagles) — all have at least 87 yards receiving and one touchdown through two games.
“[Making] a play would be pretty good … but I wake up every day to come in and do my job, do what I can to increase my role and increase my ability,” a laughing Toney said. “I don’t really need justification from everybody about what I’m doing.”
Toney, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and a hamstring injury during training camp, said he is “feeling pretty good” health-wise.
“Kadarius hasn’t played a lot of football for us yet … so he’s a young player who’s learning,” Garrett said. “It takes receivers a little time to transition. In general, college receivers when they’re coming into the NFL, there’s a whole repertoire of routes that they haven’t been exposed to, so he’s in that process. It’s not unique to him or us. The biggest thing with him is practicing day-in and day-out and developing some consistency.”
Toney and Giants head coach Joe Judge chatted on the sideline during Thursday’s loss to Washington before it looked as if Toney was sulking alone on the sideline.
“Just stay encouraged and stay locked in because the game wasn’t over,” Toney said of the message. “I had to get ready to receive the corrections everybody else received and get ready for the next drive.”
The easiest way to get Toney’s explosive speed on the field is as a returner, but the Giants are using practice squad call-up C.J. Board to return kickoffs and punts.
“He’s got a lot of things he’s working through on the offense,” special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said of Toney. “But he’ll be fine. When it’s time for him to get back there, he’ll be back there — and he’ll make a play. It will come.”
The Giants need to find the happy medium between forcing the ball to Toney — as was the case on two telegraphed passes in the season-opener — and underutilizing his strengths. Judge said he will use “anyone anywhere” if Toney is ready for a full workload as a returner before as a receiver.
“He’s had a real good week of practice — Monday was one of his best days — and I think that’s natural as he gains experience,” Judge said. “I wouldn’t say we’re holding anything back on K.T.”