The Buffalo Bills will have some tough roster decisions to make.
Buffalo signed a reserve/futures contract with Buffalo in January after ending the year with the Bills. Yet, nothing was going to be guaranteed to the veteran, but after the preseason opener, The Athletic’s Joe Buscgalia believes Hardman has earned himself a spot on the 53-man roster.
“DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Skyler Bell, Mecole Hardman. We’re at our first change from the pre-camp 53-man roster projection. Last time, I had Hardman on the outside looking in, thinking the Bills could try the rookie Bell as their punt returner. During open practices, Bell was rarely involved in punt return reps,” Buscgalia wrote.
“On top of that, everyone else besides Hardman was either a roster long shot or struggled in those punt-return reps. Now, Bell is injured. Even though Hardman may only be a onesie position as a punt returner, they might have to keep him and try to work him into a handful of offensive snaps to make it worthwhile.”
Hardman won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, is a solid punt returner, and can add some speed to the receiver room.
Last season with the Bills, Hardman appeared in 2 regular season games and didn’t record a catch, but returned two punts and a kickoff. In the playoffs, he had 1 reception for 4 yards and a touchdown.
Bills Show Off New-Look WR Connection
Buffalo had its first preseason game on the weekend, and the connection between Josh Allen and DJ Moore was on point.
Allen found Moore wide open for a 32-yard gain, and the quarterback had plenty of praise for the team’s new No. 1 receiver.
“He’s a heck of a football player and we’re lucky to have him,” Allen said. … “I’m going to make an assumption that it’s going to be awesome to do that every single game to get him involved early and often.”
Moore did have an injury scare, but he made it clear he was okay, and the plan was for him to be done after that play anyway.
“He was going to come out after that play. That was the last drive with him,” Brady said. “When I talked with him he said he was good to go. So we’ll see what tomorrow looks like.”
The Bills will play the Cleveland Browns on Saturday in their second preseason game.
Joe Brady Reflects After 1st Game as HC
The Bills have a new head coach, as Joe Brady was named coach this offseason.
Brady coached his first game on Saturday and said it was a good experience for him to learn.
“It was good. Still figuring out where I want to stand and all that, but I felt like our tempo in and out of the huddle, our communication with the sidelines… I didn’t feel like it was any different from the box. I felt good about it,” Brady said. … Every little detail matters in these moments. I’m sitting there trying to make sure that my communication and the buttons on my headset are exactly how I wanted and there’s some things I take note of that I don’t like — so everything matters.”
The Bills have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl.
Bills 3-Time Super Bowl Champion Handed Positive News After Preseason Opener