Mecole Hardman’s Preseason Blunders Put Packers Roster Spot in Jeopardy

He was always going to be a longshot to earn a spot on the Packers‘ final roster this season, but for veteran Mecole Hardman–a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs–training camp has not quite unfolded the way he had hoped. That means his longshot bid is now hanging on by a thread.

Hardman knows he will need to make an impact on special teams in order to have a realistic shot at the roster. He was given that opportunity on Saturday night against the Jets, but two of his punt returns yielded disastrous results.

Mecole Hardman Made 2 Very Bad Decisions

On one attempted return, midway through the second quarter, Hardman committed the cardinal sin of fielding a punt inside the 10-yard line. He took it at the 5, in fact, and was dropped immediately. That backed the Packers up against their own goal line, and three plays later, the Jets scored a touchdown on a sack and a fumble my Malik Willis.

On the next punt return try, Hardman let the ball bounce, then attempted to scoop it up and make a play. But he could not get a clean hold of it, and fumbled the ball away.

Packers Special Teams Coach: ‘He’s Done a Really Good Job’

Special teams coach Rich Bisaccia spoke about Hardman, via PackersNews.com:

“The disappointing thing was the place that he was inside the 10, in practice he’s done a really good job with it. He’s helped our young guys about making a fake away from the catch, or being in a position to block, or letting it go into the end zone. So I’m hoping he was just trying to make too big of a play too early, but really the best decision would’ve been just make the play that’s there. Make the fair catch on one or let it go, and stay away from the one on the ground.

“So I’m expecting him to respond the right way and come back and have a good week.”

Packers Have Depth at WR

It will take a significantly good few weeks, really, for Hardman to have a chance at the roster. As one headline read: “Mecole Hardman’s nightmare debut puts Packers future in serious doubt.”

That’s not a stretch. But the team does have some injury concerns on the roster, most notably with star receiver Jayden Reed, who was in a walking boot after the game with a foot injury, and who was cagey in providing an update on how serious the injury is.

“I don’t want to be wrong about anything, so I can’t really say,” Reed said when asked about the severity of the problem.

Still, the Packers have some depth, with Matthew Golden, Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Savion Williams likely locks for the roster. Malik Heath has been a reliable deep reserve in recent years.

With Christian Watson on the PUP list, the Packers could enter the season with five or six receivers, likely leaving Hardman out in the cold.