Bills Release Mecole Hardman

The Buffalo Bills are releasing Mecole Hardman, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday as the club started its cutdown to 53. NBC Sports carried Fowler's note. ClutchPoints timestamped it at 11:22 a.m. ET. Hardman, 28, is a seven-year veteran and a three-time Super Bowl winner from his Kansas City years. He is now on the open market with Sunday's 6 p.m. ET roster deadline still ahead.

Hardman spent most of his career with the Chiefs. He also had a 2023 pit stop with the Jets before a midseason trade back to Kansas City, ClutchPoints wrote. Last season he appeared in two regular-season games for Buffalo, with one target and no catch. He later caught a 4-yard touchdown in the AFC divisional-round loss to Denver. That was the gadget role Buffalo hoped would stick. Camp and the preseason did not sell it.

Why did the Bills release Mecole Hardman?

Drops, and a crowded room. NBC Sports said dropped passes were an issue in training camp and the preseason. Buffalo Rumblings wrote that Hardman had been in line to be the primary punt returner, then an underwhelming August (with prominent drops as a receiver) became too much. Sporting News had him listed as the No. 6 wideout behind a group that now includes DJ Moore, acquired from Chicago. The Bills went 3-0 in the preseason, including a 28-27 comeback over Pittsburgh on Thursday. Hardman played in that finale. It was not enough.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was also let go Saturday morning, Tom Pelissero reported, per Buffalo Rumblings. That is the same cut-day wave. Buffalo has until Sunday at 6 p.m. ET to get to 53. Hardman hitting the street is one of the first name-brand moves of that window.

What the Mecole Hardman release means

He is a free agent, not a closed book. Sporting News said he could still land back on Buffalo's practice squad. NBC Sports said another team looking for wide receiver depth could take a look. The search is Mecole Hardman released, not a eulogy. Three Super Bowl rings travel. So do the drops. Cut-day already had a Cedric Tillman waiver in Cleveland and a Marist Liufau forearm call in Dallas. Hardman is the Bills name on that same list.

Buffalo opens the regular season at Houston on Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, ClutchPoints noted. Hardman will not be in that 53 unless something flips before Sunday. Fans typing Bills release Mecole Hardman wanted the transaction. They got it before noon Eastern.

Mecole Hardman released FAQ

Did the Bills release Mecole Hardman? Yes. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported it Saturday morning, and NBC Sports, ClutchPoints, Sporting News, and Buffalo Rumblings all carried the same cut.

Why did Buffalo cut Mecole Hardman? NBC Sports pointed to drops in camp and the preseason. Buffalo Rumblings said an underwhelming August cost him a punt-return job that had looked available.

Will Mecole Hardman sign somewhere else? He is a free agent. Sporting News said a practice-squad return to Buffalo is possible. NBC Sports said other clubs could want the depth.