Tag: chiefs football

Former Georgia WR Mecole Hardman undergoes surgery before free agency

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman is set to become a free agent this offseason

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman has a critical offseason coming up. Hardman recently underwent a successful surgery for a core muscle and pelvic injury.

Mecole Hardman is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason. He is one of the top wide receivers on the market. Hardman’s health could be a concern for some NFL teams, but he will have time to make progress in his recovery ahead of the start of free agency in March.

Hardman was ruled out for the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles due to a core muscle and pelvic injury. Kansas City won the Super Bowl without Hardman active for the game. The Chiefs could look to retain Hardman in order to maintain some continuity. However, Kansas City has limited cap space.

Hardman, a former Georgia Bulldog standout, finished the regular season with 25 catches for 297 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Hardman also ran the ball four times for 31 yards and a two rushing touchdowns.

Hardman missed much of the second half of the season with a pelvis injury, but he returned for the AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, Hardman reinjured his pelvis against the Bengals.

Mecole Hardman had a positive update after his surgery:

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared the news of Hardman’s successful surgery via Twitter:

 

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Former Georgia Bulldog WR ruled out for Super Bowl

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman has been ruled out for Super Bowl 57

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman has been ruled out for the 2023 Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs placed Hardman on injured reserve due to a core muscle and pelvic injury.

Hardman, a former Georgia Bulldog, finished the regular season with 25 catches for 297 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Hardman also ran the ball four times for 31 yards and a two rushing touchdowns during the regular season.

Hardman missed much of the second half of the season with a pelvis injury, but he returned for the AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Hardman reinjured his pelvis against the Bengals.

Former Georgia Bulldogs Malik Herring (Chiefs), Jordan Davis (Eagles) and Nakobe Dean (Eagles) are all expected to participate in the Super Bowl.

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a sprained ankle entering the contest. Additionally, the Chiefs have several other injuries at the wide receiver position. Kansas City wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney are both questionable for the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs are activating former LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in a corresponding move.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared the news of Hardman’s injury via Twitter:

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Chiefs opponent preview, Week 11: Scouting the Raiders

A look at the Raiders ahead of Week 11

The Chiefs handled business in a 43-16 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 7. However, the defending Super Bowl Champions had to use overtime to get a victory against the Chargers in Week 2 and lost to the Raiders in Week 5. The AFC West has been no picnic for Kansas City so far. Andy Reid’s successful record following bye weeks is well documented and the whole ‘victory lap’ storyline seems to have the Chiefs even more motivated to avenge their only loss of 2020.

Chiefs opponent preview, Week 8: Scouting the Jets

Here is what you need to know about the New York Jets ahead of Week 8.

Not quite the marquee matchup that we will see in the playoffs, but rather a rare mismatch that is almost a certain runaway victory for the Chiefs. A ton of question marks surrounds the Jets organization not only for Week 8 but for the 2020 season and beyond. It is nice to see Andy Reid and his staff taking this game seriously because you never overlook any opponent, especially at the professional level. Luckily, we in the media don’t need to be so politically correct. This should not be a close game, end of story.

Here is what you need to know about the Jets ahead of Week 8:

Chiefs’ Greg Lewis sees bright future in depth at WR position

Kansas City Chiefs WR coach Greg Lewis is getting the most out of a deep WR group.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have a ton of speed in their receiving corps, but what may not be as evident is the depth of the group.

The marquee players like Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins are only the surface. Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson are the primary third and fourth receivers, respectively, with plenty of young and talented guys nipping on their heels for playing time.

Chiefs WR coach Greg Lewis played for Andy Reid for six seasons in Philadelphia and now enters his fourth serving as one of his top assistants. Under Lewis, Hill has developed into one of the best receivers in the NFL today and a lot of people are clamoring about what Hardman could do in his second season as a professional.

“I want him to work on becoming bigger, being more explosive,” Lewis said of Hardman. “Obviously, he was explosive last year, but he has more in him and just understands all facets of the offense. I think he did a wonderful job this offseason of doing those things and coming back prepared and ready to get to work, so I’m excited where he is right now and what’s to come.”

Division II product out of Valdosta State, Jody Fortson has been one of the hotter names around training camp. His 6 foot 6, 230-pound frame is eye-catching, but his circus-like grabs are what keeps you watching. Fortson spent the 2019 season on the Chiefs’ practice squad but hopes to make the 53-man roster in 2020.

“Jody came in as a tryout guy and we released him and then he came back and he was playing tight end, then moved to receiver,” Lewis said. “So just really being able to focus on one position, understanding what’s going on with the offense at the receiver position. That’s allowed him to play faster and play more physical and let his natural talent show, and I think he’s done a tremendous job of that throughout this offseason and up through training camp thus far. He’s a guy that’s a workaholic, he wants to be great.”

Having such a deep receiving room is one thing, but making sure those players are ready to step in when an opportunity arises is another. Lewis has done a great job getting guys prepared, look no further than early on last season when the Chiefs were without both Hill and Watkins

“Well, it’s a juggling act with all the receivers that are involved here,” Lewis said. “My big thing and what Coach preaches to me is to make sure everybody knows every position because in a game situation you never know who could go down and what not and we need to continue to put the guys in position to be successful.

“So understanding everything is big and then just technique wise just making sure everybody’s on the same page and able to do the same things, some may be better than others, but we’re able to get the job done with whoever is out there.”

There are many weapons to catch passes from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, which is why they are one of the toughest teams to slow down offensively. From Hardman to Fortson and everyone in between, it sounds like an embarrassment of riches that Reid, Lewis, and Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy will use to put a lot of points on the board.

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Expect a bigger role for Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman next season

The KC Chiefs are looking to expand the role of former Georgia football WR Mecole Hardman in the 2020 NFL season.

Justice Shelton-Mosely, an un-drafted rookie free agent receiver out of Vanderbilt, recently spoke to Vanderbilt Commodores senior editor Chad Bishop about what the Kansas City Chiefs said to him during the pre-draft interview process.

“They said they wanted to find someone to be in the return game and also someone that would be the guy to do the things (Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver) Mecole Hardman does.”

Former Georgia Bulldog Mecole Hardman had a huge rookie year for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in 2019. He led all NFL players with 20.7 yards per reception (among players with at least 25 catches) and hauled in 26 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns while adding 45 kick/punt returns for 871 yards and a touchdown.

It seems that the Chiefs have realized the threat Hardman can be on offense and are searching for someone to take some of his snaps on special teams to save his legs and allow him to focus more on the playbook.

In his final year at Georgia, Hardman was named to the 2018 ESPN.com All-America First Team (kick returner) and the 2018 AP & Coaches’ All-SEC 2nd Team. Maybe one of the fastest Bulldogs ever, Hardman running by defenders in Sanford Stadium was one of my favorite things to watch during his career in Athens.

Twitter reacts to Chiefs’ WR Mecole Hardman’s 63 yard TD

Mecole Hardman Jr. scores his 5th TD of the Chiefs’ NFL season and twitter reacts to the rookie’s speed.

Mecole Hardman Jr. is starting to become a NFL Sunday household name.

The rookie wide receiver out of Georgia has been making highlight play after highlight play this season for the Kansas City Chiefs and did it yet again this Sunday.

On Sunday, Hardman caught a jump pass from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and took it to the house for a 63 yard touchdown, leaving defenders in his dust and looking foolish.

WATCH:

Twitter started to buzz over the rookie’s wheels.

Hardman has also been putting in more work than most, showing up hours before games and hours before any other players to catch punts from the Chiefs’ assistant equipment manager.

Hardman has been nothing short of entertaining this year, and with Mahomes back after suffering a dislocated kneecap, the two have the potential to be one of the leagues top QB-WR threats.