The Kansas City Chiefs got some good news on Mecole Hardman’s injury on Thursday.
Hardman suffered a groin injury during training camp earlier in the week. He left practice in the front of a motorized cart, which somehow made it to national headlines. Ultimately, the injury was deemed to be minor in nature. Chiefs HC Andy Reid didn’t even rule out Hardman playing in the upcoming preseason Week 2 contest against the Washington Commanders.
Now, we’re seeing just how minor the injury really is. Hardman was spotted warming up with his teammates at the receiver position, catching passes in the early warmup period ahead of the game. It’s unclear how much movement and running around he was doing, but it’s a good sign that he’s out there catching passes with his teammates. It might even indicate that he could play on Saturday.
Mecole Hardman is catching passes along with the other receivers during early warmups.
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) August 20, 2022
Mostly sunny skies for Arrowhead 90 minutes before game time. Looks like Mecole Hardman is on the field for pregame warmups, we’ll see what that means for him today. pic.twitter.com/Rsa8kZkOac
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) August 20, 2022
It remains to be seen whether Hardman will actually suit up and play in the game against the Commanders. I know what I would do if I were the Chiefs, which is to sit him (Chris Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster too) until the regular season. Andy Reid tends to feel that if you’re healthy enough to play, you should play. With kickoff over an hour away, we’ll find out soon enough.
Update: It appears that Hardman won’t play, but nonetheless it’s good news that he was able to participate in early warmups.
Mecole Hardman is not suited up for the game. Chiefs receivers have come out for warmups and he's not with them
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) August 20, 2022
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