The Green Bay Packers are cutting ties with one of their veteran wide receivers following Week 3’s fourth-quarter collapse against the Cleveland Browns.
According to the team’s transaction wire, the Packers released veteran wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. on Tuesday from their practice squad and signed undrafted rookie wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James to take his place on the 16-man reserve roster.
The Packers also signed offensive tackle Brant Banks from the practice squad to the 53-man roster in Tuesday’s roster moves, leaving one spot vacant on their practice squad.
Hardman — a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs — signed a one-year contract with the Packers in free agency, but the 27-year-old disappointed in the preseason and failed to make the initial 53-man roster coming out of training camp.
While Hardman signed back with their practice squad, the Packers chose not to elevate him in any of their first three games, despite the team’s struggle with receiver injuries.
Hardman is now an unrestricted free agent and can sign at any time with another team.
The Packers (2-1) will look to rebound from their 13-10 loss to the Browns (1-2) when they travel to take on the Dallas Cowboys (1-2) for Sunday Night Football in Week 4.
Mecole Hardman’s Value as a Depth Piece Dwindled
The Packers thought Hardman might help boost the depth in their receiver room and compete for the primary return specialist job when they signed him to a one-year deal in the second week of free agency. After all, he had caught 178 passes for 2,302 yards and 16 touchdowns and averaged 23.8 yards on 45 kick returns in his first six seasons.
Three weeks into the 2025 season, though, Hardman is no longer with the Packers — and it does not take an understanding of rocket science to figure out why they cut him.
Hardman was lucky in the first place that the Packers re-signed him to their practice squad after how poorly he had performed in the preseason. In three games, he caught just three of his eight targets for 30 yards. He has also had a messy preseason opener, in which he dropped a pass and mishandled a punt at the 5-yard line that he turned over.
While Hardman’s practice-squad signing seemed to buy him time to work back into the team’s good graces, the Packers’ rookie draft picks hadn’t given him much of a chance.
When Jayden Reed exited the lineup with a broken collarbone, the Packers turned to first-round rookie Matthew Golden for increased reps rather than calling up Hardman. They have also found success in the return game with third-rounder Savion Williams, who has averaged 24.5 yards on six returns through the first three games of the year.
Truth be told, Hardman had simply become redundant for the Packers.
Packers Could Soon Activate WR Christian Watson
Another reason why the Packers might have felt it was no longer worth hanging onto Hardman is the impending return of wide receiver Christian Watson, who will become eligible for activation off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list starting in Week 5.
The Packers have stayed intentionally vague about how quickly they expect Watson will return to his full-time responsibilities, but chances are good that he will at least return to the practice field when his activation window opens during the team’s bye in Week 5. That would put him at roughly nine months out from when he tore his ACL in January.
Fortunately for the Packers, they have no reason to rush Watson back into the lineup with Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, tight end Tucker Kraft and the two rookie picks giving quarterback Jordan Love plenty of talent with which to work. So while it remains a possibility that he could play as soon as Week 6’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 12, the team will likely hold him to a pitch count for at least a few games.
Even still, Hardman would have had a tough time trying to crack the game-day roster with Watson back in the rotation, even in a diminished role.