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Mecole Hardman

Bills Place WR Mecole Hardman On IR, Promote WR Gabriel Davis From Practice Squad

November 20th, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills are down another offensive weapon. Less than a week after making his Bills debut, Mecole Hardman is heading to injured reserve, according to the team.

The veteran wideout seemed to be trending towards being at least inactive for Thursday Night Football. After getting into seven offensive snaps on Sunday, the receiver didn’t practice this week while nursing a calf injury. Now, that injury will keep him off the field for at least the next month.

After spending the preseason with the Packers, Hardman landed on Green Bay’s practice squad to start the 2025 campaign. He was released after only a few weeks, and he was a free agent until landing with Buffalo’s taxi squad earlier this month. He was quickly activated to the active roster, and he garnered a single target in his team debut.

Besides a brief stop with the Jets, Hardman had spent the majority of his career playing with the Chiefs. After averaging close to 600 receiving yards per season through his first three years in the NFL, Hardman has been limited to only 511 yards since 2022. He hauled in only 12 catches in 12 games with the Chiefs in 2024, although he did serve as the team’s primary punt returner.

The Bills will be digging into their offensive depth tonight against the Texans. Besides Hardman, the team will also be without tight end Dalton Kincaid, receiver Curtis Samuel, and probably wideout Keon Coleman, who is heading towards a second-straight week of sitting on the sideline. As a result, the team has once again elevated Gabe Davis from the practice squad.

The former Bills standout reunited with the team back in September but sat out the first few months as he continued to recover from a torn meniscus and torn PCL. He made his season debut on Sunday, hauling in three catches for 40 yards. He’ll join a receiver corps that also includes Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Tyrell Shavers, and Elijah Moore. With Kincaid out, the Bills have also promoted TE Keleki Latu from the practice squad.

Bills WR Keon Coleman Benched For Today’s Game

November 16th, 2025 at 10:14am CST by Ely Allen

It’s no secret that Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman has failed to live up to his draft stock thus far in his young career. A slow rookie campaign with a couple missed games is excusable, but Coleman has noticeably taken a step back in Year 2. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Coleman will not play in today’s game against the Buccaneers. It’s supposedly “not performance-based, though, as Schultz relays it to be “a coach’s decision.”

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided added context for the healthy scratch, citing Coleman’s tardiness to meetings on Friday morning as the reason for his benching. The team had no plans throughout the week of making him inactive but chose an expensive punishment as a result of repeated issues. Per Rapoport, he was benched for a drive against New England earlier this year and benched for a full quarter against Jacksonville last year.

Coleman came to Buffalo with potential and anticipation but not outrageous production. After a quiet true freshman season at Michigan State, Coleman broke out for the Spartans in his second season of play with 58 catches for 798 yards and seven touchdowns. He capitalized on his big year by transferring to Florida State, where, in a quieter passing attack, he led the Seminoles with 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Despite the lack of eye-popping yardage, those 11 scores in garnet and gold underlined his potential as a big-bodied playmaker. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds coming out of college, the physical frame was there, but the speed was lacking. Coleman ran an unencouraging 4.61-second 40-yard dash, but the Bills thought he played much faster than his dash time, as evidenced by his demonstration in the gauntlet drill, in which he achieved the fastest top speed of any receiver that year.

Coleman’s numbers as a second-round rookie (57 catches-556 yards-four touchdowns) were not overly impressive, but that is understandable for a rookie who missed four games. MVP quarterback Josh Allen targeted Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid over a third of the time, while Coleman found residual targets in line with fellow receivers Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel. In Year 2, Allen has made more of an effort to involve Coleman, making him the second most-targeted pass catcher on the team, again behind Shakir, but Coleman has seen his yards per game decrease despite the added attention.

With Coleman out, it will certainly be interesting to see how the Bills make up for Coleman’s absence. After Shakir, Coleman, Kincaid, and running back James Cook, Josh Palmer is the fifth leading receiver with a line of 14-234-0. Elijah Moore (8-115-0) and Tyrell Shavers (7-82-0) are also scoreless, making Samuel (5-62-1) the only member of the receiving corps active for today’s game other than Shakir to score a touchdown this year, and Kincaid has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

We did see yesterday that Buffalo is calling up some interesting reinforcements. The team used its Saturday transactions to sign Mecole Hardman from the practice squad to the active roster while choosing to elevate Gabe Davis and tight end Keleki Latu as standard gameday practice squad elevations.

Davis was a reliable WR2 for Allen behind Stefon Diggs for four years before flaming out in Jacksonville with disappointing production on a three-year, $39MM contract. After only racking up 239 yards in 10 games, Davis’ season ended with a torn meniscus. The combination of concern for his recovery, Brian Thomas Jr.‘s stellar rookie campaign, and the arrival of No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter led the Jaguars to release Davis after his lone year with the team.

It’s to be determined how Hardman — a role player for years in Kansas City — will fit into the new offense or how much Latu — making his NFL debut after going undrafted out of Washington — will be utilized. The bigger mystery, though, concerns the future of Coleman. A healthy scratch will easily be a low point in his young career, and it will be interesting to follow how he responds to this style of coaching given his response alike punishment in the past.

Bills Activate DT T.J. Sanders From IR, Sign WR Mecole Hardman To Active Roster

November 15th, 2025 at 6:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Knee surgery has left T.J. Sanders unavailable since he last played in Week 4. The second-round rookie is set to return to action tomorrow, however.

Sanders was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, per a Bills announcement. The move comes as no surprise since his practice window was opened earlier this week. Buffalo now has five IR activations remaining for the regular season.

Injuries along the defensive front have been an issue in 2025 for the Bills. Ed Oliver‘s biceps tear will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future, while Michael Hoecht suffered an Achilles tear during just his second appearance of the campaign. Most recently, Landon Jackson has landed on IR and his availability regarding a return late in the year is in question.

Buffalo has allowed an average of nearly 148 yards per game on the ground this season, which ranks 30th in the league. Reinforcements along the defensive interior will be key as the team looks to make needed improvements in that regard. Sanders logged a 49% snap share prior to suffering his injury, and a notable workload should be expected once again as he returns to the lineup.

In other roster news, the Bills have signed Mecole Hardman from the practice squad to the active roster. The veteran wideout recently joined the team via a taxi squad pact and he will see playing time in short order. Hardman will not be expected to handle much in the way of offensive snaps early in his Buffalo tenure, but he could see usage in the return game right away. To make room for him on the roster, Brandon Codrington was waived.

Gabe Davis is also set to make his season debut tomorrow. The veteran receiver returned to Buffalo just before the start of the season before spending a lengthy period on the practice squad IR list. Davis is now healthy and with the team struggling for production at the WR spot, he will look to carve out at least a rotational role as a familiar Josh Allen target.

Dalton Kincaid will not play against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Depth at that position will come in the form of Keleki Latu, who joins Davis as a gameday elevation from the practice squad. Latu will make his NFL debut if he dresses tomorrow.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/10/25

November 10th, 2025 at 8:40pm CST by Connor Byrne

Here are Monday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: LB Antwaun Powell-Ryland

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: DE Ahmed Hassanein

Tennessee Titans

In search of a wide receiver before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, the Bills reportedly made a substantial offer to the AFC East rival Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins ended up keeping Waddle, though, and the Bills were unable to acquire any other receivers ahead of the deadline.

Still desperate for help at the position after a 30-13 loss to Waddle and the Dolphins in Week 10, the Bills are bringing in Hardman to join Gabe Davis as experienced options on their practice squad. Hardman had gone without a team since the Packers released him from their practice squad on Sept. 23.

Aside from a five-game run with the Jets in 2023, all of Hardman’s regular-season work in the NFL has come with the Chiefs. The 2019 second-round pick from Georgia has amassed 178 catches, 2,302 yards, and 16 touchdowns in 80 games. He made 12 appearances with the AFC champions last year and caught 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/23/25

September 23rd, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

As teams enter Week 4, here are the latest practice squad transactions from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Falcons’ kicking rollercoaster took another turn in Week 3 with John Parker Romo missing both of his attempts in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers. Granted, those kicks came from 49 and 55 yards, so Atlanta may have some patience after signing Romo to a two-year contract last week. The Falcons still brought in some potential competition in Sauls, an undrafted rookie who spent training camp with the Steelers and made five of his six field goals in the preseason.

Wright is expected to be out for four to six weeks due to a foot injury, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Watson signed with the Buccaneers after the draft but remained on the non-football injury list as he worked to get his weight to a more manageable level. He was waived during final roster cuts, but the team hosted him for a workout last week, per FOX Sports’ Greg Auman. Watson met the team’s athletic requirements to earn his way back on the practice squad, according to Auman, and will return just in time for the Bucs’ Week 4 matchup with the Eagles. The massive nose tackle does feel like a direct counter to the tush push, but Bowles previously said (via Auman) that Watson wouldn’t be re-signed just for one matchup and would instead need to be ready to contribute to the defense as a whole.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North

August 27th, 2025 at 3:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings moves are noted below.

Chicago Bears

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Detroit Lions

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Green Bay Packers

Signed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Minnesota Vikings

Signed to practice squad:

Packers Make Cuts, Set Initial 53-Man Roster

August 26th, 2025 at 9:43pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Packers announced their initial 53-man roster as well as the following transactions:

Released

Waived

Placed on IR (designation to return)

Placed on IR

Placed on reserve/PUP

Despite his struggles to carve out a role in the NFL, Simmons made the 53-man roster in each of his first five seasons after the Cardinals selected him with the No. 8 pick in 2020. That streak has come to an end in Green Bay with his release today.

Alexandre is expected to return to the Packers’ practice squad if he clears waivers, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood, who places Banks in the same category.

Lloyd suffered a groin injury early in training camp and a hamstring injury more recently, which will land him on IR and sideline him for at least four weeks. Monk, though to be the team’s backup center, will also be out for a minimum of four weeks.

Packers To Release WR Mecole Hardman

August 26th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Sam Robinson

Mecole Hardman will not begin the season on Green Bay’s roster. The veteran receiver/returner is being released, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Even with Christian Watson set for the reserve/PUP list, Green Bay had assembled a deep group of wide receivers after using first- and third-round picks to address the position. This left Hardman in an uncertain spot, and the former Super Bowl hero will be jettisoned months after signing with the Packers.

Hardman has been unable to stick anywhere but Kansas City. The Jets cut bait on their free agency deal months after authorizing it, sending Hardman back to the Chiefs in a pick-swap deal. That set up Hardman to play a key role down the stretch with Kansas City, and he memorably snagged Patrick Mahomes‘ game-winning offering to secure the Chiefs a second straight Super Bowl title. But minimal free agency interest followed, leading Hardman to a one-year, $1.13MM Chiefs deal in 2024.

The Packers gave Hardman a one-year, $1.5MM deal that included $150K guaranteed. Green Bay will only be responsible for that $150K in dead money via this release. Hardman, 27, will head straight to free agency. It is possible Hardman could stay in Green Bay on a practice squad deal, but that remains to be seen. The Packers have a crowded depth chart at WR – to the point Bo Melton switched positions (to cornerback).

The team returns Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams supplemented that duo in the draft, giving the Pack an array of options while Watson recovers from a Week 18 ACL tear. Watson is expected to be activated around midseason.

Hardman’s best path to a Packers role came in the return game, as the former second-round pick has an All-Pro honor (as a kick returner) on his resume. For the most part, however, Hardman’s return-game work has come on punts. He would remain an intriguing option in that capacity, at the very least, upon returning to free agency.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Bears, Jets, Titans, Vikings On Rondale Moore Radar

March 19th, 2025 at 9:09am CST by Sam Robinson

Traded straight up for Desmond Ridder last March, Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending injury that kept him from playing a down as a Falcon. Now out of contract, the former Cardinals slot receiver is generating considerable interest despite his recent setback.

The Vikings brought in the young slot target for a visit last week, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets; that was the first stop on a Moore tour. The Bears then met with the former second-round pick, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, while ESPN’s Field Yates indicates the Jets huddled up with Moore on Tuesday. A Titans-Moore summit is on tap today, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets.

This is a rather interesting market, as Moore went down early during Falcons training camp last year. While that timing did provide an extended rehab period, Moore missing a full season could have diminished him on a market that still includes Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen and Tyler Lockett. Though, the veteran wing of the receiver market does not stand to impact Moore. A slot weapon and gadget presence, the 24-year-old WR is looking to rebound after the Cardinals bailed on him. The Purdue alum did bring some intrigue while in Arizona, as teams are lining up to determine a fit.

At just 5-foot-7, Moore presents limitations but operated as a Cardinals supporting-caster for Kyler Murray (and others) during his rookie contract. Drafted to play in Kliff Kingsbury‘s spread attack, Moore caught 54 passes for 435 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. During a 2022 season in which Murray went down in early December, Moore posted a 41/414/1 line. Current Cardinals OC Drew Petzing used Moore as a runner extensively, and he posted 178 rushing yards (on 28 carries) to go with 40 catches for 352 through the air in 2023. The Cards still used Moore as a trade chip to acquire a passer they eventually cut before Week 1.

Allen has shown interest in returning to the Bears, and they have already added slot option Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency. With Jalen Nailor supplementing Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Minnesota has a crowded receiving situation as well. The Jets signed Tyler Johnson as a supplementary option, but their receiving corps has questions post-Davante Adams. Moore would not exactly answer them, but he would provide some Garrett Wilson support. The Titans have not re-signed Tyler Boyd, though they did add five-year vet Van Jefferson as a potential Calvin Ridley sidekick.

The Bears also worked out Mecole Hardman previously, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams). Hardman has since signed with the Packers. Chicago GM Ryan Poles was in Kansas City when the Chiefs drafted Hardman in the 2019 second round.

Packers Signing WR Mecole Hardman

March 18th, 2025 at 6:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Green Bay’s versatile wide receiving corps adds another weapon today as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the signing of former Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman. The former second-round pick has turned into a bit of a return specialist over the years and could secure that role for the Packers in 2025.

The Georgia-product was taken fairly early in the 2019 draft based on athleticism, speed, and potential. After logging zero offensive statistics in four games as a freshman, Hardman racked up a combined 961 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns, adding 97 yards and two scores on the ground, in his last two years of play for the Bulldogs.

Hardman continued with extremely similar production over the course of his rookie contract with receiving yard totals of 538, 560, and 693 in his first three seasons. Despite the middling receiving totals, he added value with his return abilities, even earning second-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner as a rookie. In his first two seasons, he logged return touchdowns off both a kickoff and a punt.

In 2022, Hardman saw injuries bite into his production, missing nine games with an abdominal injury. The absences during a contract year hurt his value as a free agent, but he signed a one-year, $4MM deal to join the Jets through free agency. He failed to establish much of a role in New York, only catching one pass in five games, and Hardman asked to be traded after losing his starting job to a couple of rookies.

Hardman got traded back to the team that drafted him as players like Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Kadarius Toney failed to deliver consistent results for the Chiefs. Even when back in Kansas City, though, Hardman’s impact remained minor, even failing to recapture return duties in 2023 as injuries continued limit him. Last year, Hardman regained punt return duties and returned a few kickoffs, but he saw injury turn its ugly head once again as he missed the final five games of the season, as well as the postseason.

In Green Bay, Hardman should have an opportunity to earn key return duties for both punts and kickoffs. Last year, the Packers utilized wide receiver Jayden Reed primarily for punt returns and cornerback Keisean Nixon primarily for kickoff returns. Both Reed and Nixon play fairly big roles outside of special teams, so the team would likely prefer to let them focus on their main responsibilities and allow Hardman to take over return duties.

On offense, Green Bay has plenty of young receiver talent of all shapes and sizes. A combination of Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Dontayvion Wicks worked as a complete group of targets for quarterback Jordan Love in 2024. All four are back in 2025, so it may be difficult for Hardman to find many targets. He could still attempt to earn some time as a gadget player, though Reed played that role well in 2024, as well.

In Kansas City, Hardman joins DeAndre Hopkins as a departure from the receiving corps. The Chiefs have plenty of receivers in Hardman’s build (Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown), and Nikko Remigio should continue to fill in as the primary return option.

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