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As the Kansas City Chiefs attempt to keep their winning ways alive in Week 9, the team will have to do so without Mecole Hardman, at least for the time being, as the speedy deep threat has exited the game with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return.
Taking a big hit during an otherwise routine first-quarter play, Hardman came up injured, seemingly having issues with his right arm.
“Mecole Hardman got popped hard at the end of that play, and Tampa Bay's athletic training staff started tending to him immediately,” Matt Derrick wrote on social media. “Jogged to the KC sideline but was not moving his right arm, just flexing his right hand.”
Back in KC in his second stint with the team following an unsuccessful run with the New York Jets, Hardman has been a relatively deep reserve for the Chiefs in 2024, ranking fifth on the team in receiving yards among wide receivers while also serving as the team's primary punt returner and occasional kick returner. With Hardman questionable to return, the pressure will likely be on Carson Steele to fill his shoes, as the UCLA RB currently leads the team in kick return yards.
Will the Chiefs be able to overcome Hardman's loss to remain undefeated through the first half of the 2024 NFL season? Or will they instead remain on the wrong side of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that desperately wants to get their game back on track after a few ugly outings? Only time will tell, but as long as someone like Steele can pick up where Hardman left off as a return man, the Chiefs really shouldn't see their game altered much at all, as at this point, a target to the pride of Georgia is a rarity in Andy Reid's weekly game plan.
