Kansas City Chiefs Activate Mecole Hardman From Injured Reserve

The Kansas City Chiefs have activated wide receiver Mecole Hardman from Injured Reserve.

The Chiefs activated WR Mecole Hardman from the disabled list.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 4, 2023

Hardman has been out since Week 9 with an abdominal injury. It seemed like the injury wasn’t going to be a long-term thing, but he was finally placed on IR and is scheduled to return this week. Before his injury, Hardman seemed like the best wide receiver on the team. With Tyreek Hill traded to Miami, someone had to step in in his absence. Kansas City signed wide receivers Juju Smith-Schuster and Márquez Valdés-Scantling last offseason to fill the void. Maybe the Chiefs have had that replacement all along.

Hardman was selected by Kansas City in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia. Hardman is known for his blistering speed and ability to run off the catch. The Chiefs are getting Hardman back at the right time. The NFL Playoffs are just around the corner. Adding another speed demon to this Patrick Mahomes-led offense will make this offense tough to beat.

Hardman hasn’t been the de facto No. 1 receiver of his career, as he doesn’t really have that kind of structure to be a No. 1 threat. Also, having Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill doesn’t help his case. In his rookie season, Hardman made the Pro Bowl as a returner. However, Mecole Hardman has been getting better every year. Last season was the best to date. He had a career high in receptions and yards.

In his few games before the injury, Hardman allowed touchdowns in his last three games. He even showed some promise running the ball as well. He had two rushing touchdowns during that three-game stretch.

Kansas City is a 9.5-point favorite against the Las Vegas Raiders in week 18 according to NFL betting sites. The return of Mecole Hardman to the lineup probably won’t affect this lineup, but it will certainly help them for another Super Bowl run.