The Green Bay Packers are one of the many NFL teams who have been busy making roster cuts over the last few days in preparation for the upcoming 2025 season. Earlier this week, the Packers released wide receiver and return specialist Mecole Hardman, a former multi-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs who had signed with Green Bay earlier this offseason.
However, on Wednesday, the team somewhat reversed course on this decision.
“Source: The #Packers are bringing back WR Mecole Hardman. He is going to the practice squad,” reported NFL insider Jordan Schultz on X, formerly Twitter.
Hardman had several good seasons with the Chiefs after being drafted out of the University of Georgia but has also dealt with injury concerns over the years, which has perhaps limited his value on the free agent market.
Hardman is perhaps best known for his game-winning catch against the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl back in the 2023-24 season in overtime.
Another weapon for the Packers
As Schultz noted, Hardman is being signed to the practice squad, meaning he won't be on the 53-man roster to start this season, at least not yet.
However, Hardman's experience and speed come in handy at the very least for helping the Packers' defense prepare for what they will see in real game scenarios, and he is sure to be ready at a moment's notice if he is ever called up to the big squad.
Overall, the Packers are hoping for a healthy season, particularly out of quarterback Jordan Love, who sustained multiple injuries last season, causing him to miss games in each instance.
The Packers ultimately ended up bowing out in the Wild Card round against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles last season in blowout fashion, and will look to make it a deeper playoff run this year.
In any case, the Packers still have some time to continue to fine tune things before they are slated to kick off their 2025 season at home with a divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions on September 7 at 4:25 PM ET.
