Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman has had an eventful last several months since officially leaving the organization in March. The two-time Super Bowl champion signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Green Bay Packers during the first week of free agency in hopes of making their 53-man roster and giving them a boost on special teams as a return specialist.
However, he surprisingly didn’t make the Packers’ 53-man roster at the end of the preseason. Green Bay brought Hardman back on the practice squad, giving him another chance to be called up. But that didn’t happen as the Packers officially released him on Sept. 23. Since then, the ex-Chief has been on the workout circuit looking for his next opportunity.
Luckily for Hardman, it seems his long wait is finally over. On Monday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the ex-Chiefs wideout is signing with the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, ending his search for a new team and joining one of the Chiefs’ rivals to kick off Week 11.
Ex-Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman Joins Buffalo Bills to Kickoff Week 11
For the veteran receiver, this signing came at the perfect time. The last thing we heard regarding Hardman was that he worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints, but he didn’t get signed by either of those teams, despite the lack of talent in their WR rooms.
Now the veteran pass catcher gets to join a Bills squad, which defeated the Chiefs in Week 9, but fell flat on their face in Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills don’t have an immediate need on the 53-man roster for a wide receiver, but adding a guy like Hardman, who has playoff experience and can be valuable in the return game, works out in his favor.
That said, Hardman is now one of four wide receivers on the Bills’ taxi squad, which also has Gabe Davis, who Chiefs fans remember vividly during his first stint in Buffalo.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if the ex-Chiefs wide receiver will get called up over the next few weeks or if he can just stay on the Bills’ practice squad. Some fans might believe that just because you are on the practice squad, your spot on the team is safe for the moment.
That is true in some respects, but at any time, a team like the Bills or Chiefs can cut ties with a player at no cost and give their spot to another player. Hardman hopes that this opportunity with the Bills will go much better than his time in Green Bay.