As the Buffalo Bills attempt to win their first Super Bowl, a three-time champion could be on the cutting block. NFL.com writer Kevin Patra identified Mecole Hardman Jr. as a potential roster casualty before Sunday's 53-man deadline. Patra also thinks the Bills could cut edge rusher Michael Danna and safety Geno Stone.
"Hardman hasn’t stood out as a receiver and had several preseason drops," Patra noted. "The Bills test-driving Ray Davis as a punt returner directly threatens Hardman’s primary gig. If Buffalo is comfortable with its other punt returning options, Hardman will be looking for work elsewhere." Hardman joined Buffalo's practice squad late last season.
While the wide receiver didn't record a catch in either of his two games, he returned a kickoff 61 yards in a Week 11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A 2019 second-round pick out of Georgia, Hardman made the Pro Bowl when registering 704 kick-return yards as a rookie. He finished that triumphant season by winning a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hardman later assumed a more significant role in Kansas City's offense, garnering a career-high 59 catches and 693 receiving yards in 2021. He scored his second of four postseason touchdowns in an AFC Championship Game loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Although he signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets, the Chiefs reacquired Hardman during the 2023 season.
He rewarded them with a career-defining moment months later. In the closing seconds of overtime, Patrick Mahomes connected with Hardman for a 3-yard score to secure a Super Bowl LVIII triumph over the San Francisco 49ers. Hardman had tallied 118 yards throughout the regular season before collecting 57 yards in that clutch Super Bowl performance.
Hardman had 152 scrimmage yards in 2024 before joining the Bills last season. He's not a lock to open the new season on Buffalo's active roster.
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