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The Cleveland Browns have ended their Kadarius Toney experiment after the supremely talented but curiously enigmatic and completely frustrating wide receiver did some bad and dumb things in a Browns loss over the weekend.

The Browns released Toney on Tuesday. They announced it as an afterthought on a press release that announced Greg Newsome going on injured reserve and the signing of four practice squad players.

 Kadarius Toney. Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Kadarius Toney Released By Browns

Here’s the throwaway line on Toney from the release: “Toney appeared in three games with the Browns. He recorded two rushing attempts and four punt returns for 44 yards.”

That’s it. Bye.

And for Toney this is another example of him doing dumb things and winning dumb prizes.

So what dumb things did Toney do to deserve his unemployment?

In Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, Toney played on only two special teams snaps in the fourth quarter. And in that limited time, he was flagged for a taunting penalty after he made a fair catch.

And then he muffed another punt which basically added injury to the previous insulting behavior. 

Coach Kevin Stefanski was not happy with Toney for what he did.

Toney Was ‘Disappointing’ In Cleveland

Stefanski is a two-time NFL coach of the year. And he has standards. Doing dumb things don’t meet his standards.

Also “disappointing” the head coach gets players fired.

The thing is, Toney is talented. Seriously talented.

He’s fast, and big enough in that he’s 6-feet tall. He gets in and out of his breaks with great quickness. He has skills that one can understand why he was a first-round pick of the Giants years ago.

But he continually does dumb things.

Do you recall that after he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs he helped them win the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles with a great punt return – a 65-yarder that is a Super Bowl record – and then a 5-yard TD catch?

DENVER – Cleveland Browns wide receiver Kadarius Toney (87) runs the ball against Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) in the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on Dec. 2, 2024. Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

A Small Positive For Giants Fans

Well, by the following year he was on the outs, so to speak. By the end of the 2023 season, he was not only injured, but accusing the Chiefs of lying that he was injured.

He was cut by the Chiefs this year and eventually picked up by the Browns. Who knows what team, if any, will try to straighten out the 25-year-old player next. 

And finally, a note to Giants fans: You’ve had a rough go of it this year. Your team stinks, the coach is on the hot seat, the quarterback quit on the team after the team quit on the quarterback.

But the team made a mistake drafting Toney with the No. 20 overall selection in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft and realized its mistake almost immediately. Toney was traded to the Chiefs after playing only two games the very next season.

The Giants got a third- and sixth-round pick from the Chiefs in the trade. Not a first, but something is something.

Take your little positive notes any way you can, Giants fans.