The Green Bay Packers’ preseason will officially end after Saturday afternoon’s collision with the Seattle Seahawks. It’s the last exhibition opportunity for veterans and rookies to prove themselves to head coach Matt LaFleur, and failing to showcase their value will see them cut from the Packers by Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.
Although the preseason finale isn’t finished yet at the time of writing, some of the Packers’ upcoming cuts are more obvious than others. Green Bay’s wide receiver room is bloated at the moment and needs to have some players removed from the equation, including a wideout who just joined the franchise earlier this offseason.
Packers WR Mecole Hardman Sadly Won’t Survive Roster Cuts
The Packers added some speed to their roster situation by signing veteran WR Mecole Hardman back in March. The former Georgia Bulldog’s resume as a receiver and punt/kick returner was enough to catch Green Bay’s attention, but that didn’t change the fact that he still needed to impress LaFleur & Co. to crack the roster.
Hardman has struggled with consistency throughout his NFL career, but the championship-caliber experience he amassed during multiple Super Bowl runs with the Chiefs left Packers fans feeling optimistic. He even started his stint on a high note with a stellar 75-yard touchdown grab during June’s organized team activities (OTAs).
Much to his dismay, though, Hardman’s underwhelming preseason play has caused his stock to plummet. Ahead of Saturday’s finale, the 27-year-old WR had only caught 2-of-5 targets for 27 yards in the first two exhibition outings. He also only has 10 return yards on three punts, which includes botching a pair of returns in the preseason opener against the New York Jets.
No matter how you slice it, that type of performance makes it tough to justify Hardman’s spot in the 53-man mix. Yes, his resume is impressive, but his current performance hasn’t separated him from the pack. Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Dontayvion Wicks are all ahead of him on the WR depth chart still, while Savion Williams and Malik Heath are in the WR6 conversation, too.
Perhaps a strong performance vs. the Seahawks will put Hardman back into Green Bay’s good graces. At the same time, Packers fans shouldn’t hold their breath. The ex-2019 second-rounder looks like his best days are behind him, making Hardman the likely odd man out of the WR equation.
