Browns Elevate Former Chiefs WR for Week 11 Matchup

The Cleveland Browns have brought former Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney to the active roster for this week’s match-up against the New Orleans Saints, while offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has been ruled out due to an ongoing knee injury.

Browns elevated WR Kadarius Toney from their practice squad to their active roster for Sunday’s game at New Orleans and downgraded OT Jedrick Wills Jr. to out due to a knee injury.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 16, 2024

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According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Wills has been downgraded to out due to a knee injury, leading the Browns to elevate Toney, who had been acquired just this September.

Wills suffered a season-ending knee injury last November, which required arthroscopic surgery in December. He didn’t return to practice until September 4 of this season, making his debut in Week 3 against the Giants.

However, after leaving that game with another injury, Wills was sidelined for the following week’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. He came back for the next three games, only to suffer another injury in the contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Toney was selected by the New York Giants with the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after a standout career at the University of Florida. However, his time with the Giants didn’t live up to expectations. In his year and a half with New York, he made just five starts across 12 games, catching 41 passes for 420 yards, without scoring a touchdown, and adding five rushes for 29 yards.

In October 2022, Toney was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where his role shifted mainly to punt return duties. Over 20 games with Kansas City, he averaged 7.4 yards on 16 punt returns. As a receiver, Toney recorded 41 catches for 320 yards and three touchdowns, plus 16 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown.

This past offseason, the Chiefs decided not to pick up Toney’s fifth-year option, and he was released in August. The Browns picked him up for the practice squad in September and now he has already been upgraded.

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There is some speculation that Wills has been downgraded in part because of previous comments he made, in which he described sitting out Week 8’s game against the Baltimore Ravens as a “business decision.”

“I mean, I decided myself,” Wills said. “I made a business decision not to play after the Bengals game going into that Ravens game because I was injured. And then the next week is when I received the news.”

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski later responded to the perceived fallout,

“It was a poor choice of words,” Stefanski said. “I know the connotation of ‘business decision.’ That’s not how he meant it. He did not feel like he was near 100% to help us. But a poor choice of words and he understands it.”

Regardless of whether that comment from Wills had anything to do with it, he will be sitting out Week 11 against the Saints, while Toney is now on the field.

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