Kadarius Toney on Daniel Jones, being a “silent assassin,” more takeaways

The breakout wide receiver is ready to move on from this week’s drama

The comparisons between Kadarius Toney and Odell Beckham Jr. are obvious to everyone except Toney.

Kadarius Toney racked up 189 receiving yards last week against the Dallas Cowboys, breaking Beckham’s New York Giants rookie record. But, based solely on the punch that Toney threw at Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee in that game, he also shares Beckham’s fiery temperament.

Unsurprisingly, Toney is ready to put the incident behind him. Head coach Joe Judge said Toney has earned his trust, and he will likely see a large role in the offense even with the expected return of Sterling Shepard.

“Nobody really made anything out of it but the media,” Toney said. “At the end of the day, we’re just ready for the next game. We’ve got to get ready for the L.A. Rams. We’re going to play them in 48 hours, so that’s pretty much everybody’s focus right now. We’re not worried about the past.”

Toney will likely have to line up against Jalen Ramsey when the Giants face the Rams this Sunday, an All-Pro cornerback and the league’s most notorious trash talker. That sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Toney isn’t concerned.

“I’m a silent assassin,” Toney said. “I don’t talk to nobody on the field. Typically, a person would probably get mad (about trash talk), but that’s just the person I am. I’m not going to talk to you regardless. If I don’t have to talk to you, I’m not going to talk to you.

“My mindset is always positive. If that’s what he wants to do, then that’s just what he’s going to do. If he’s going to try – I mean, you can always attempt, but you can’t always get the result that you want out of it. Like I said, it was a learning process last week, so you shouldn’t expect anything like that from me.”

Opposing quarterbacks have been a little less afraid of Ramsey this year — he has allowed 218 passing yards so far after allowing 354 all of last year — but he is still averaging a career-best 9.5 yards per completion. Toney, though, has yet to meet a cornerback who was able to shut him down completely.

“I played quarterback up until I got to Florida, but there’s always great competition out there,” Toney said. “So I mean there isn’t anybody that’s locked me up or anybody that I haven’t been able to get open on. It’s always been 50-50, no matter who I played against. Everybody has their up-plays and their down-plays and stuff like that.”

On his relationship with Daniel Jones

One of the enduring images of the Cowboys game was of Toney rushing to Daniel Jones’ side as he was carted off the field. Jones suffered a concussion after lowering his head on a goal-line rush.

“That’s my brother,” Toney said. “That’s my dog. At the end of the day, if he’s hurt, I’m hurt. That really kind of made me go harder, just knowing that he wasn’t able to do what he’ll normally do, like contribute as much as he can, just put another chip on my shoulder. I already came in with one and that just added another one. Had to go check on my brother. At the end of the day, we’re all for one, one for all.”

Jones was cleared to play against the Rams after completing a full practice Friday. His name does not even appear on the Giants’ injury report.

“He’s basically going to put the team on his shoulders at times, so that’s always encouraging when a guy like that is able to step back out there on the field and contribute as much as he can,” Toney said. “Daniel, he makes sure everybody’s prepared no matter if he’s playing or he’s not playing. Even when he was concussed, he came up to me right after. When I’d see in him in the locker room, he’d say, ‘Hey, you good?’ or whatever situation it was, trying to always be that person that he’s always been, no matter if he’s able to be in the position or not.”