Here’s why Mecole Hardman won’t be returning kicks for Kansas City Chiefs in preseason
Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who led the team in punt returns in 2020, didn’t line up to return any during Saturday evening’s preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Don’t expect Hardman to line up to field punts or kickoffs in Friday’s night’s road game against the Arizona Cardinals, either.
Hardman hasn’t lost the starting role of return man. Instead, special teams coordinator Dave Toub wants to get a better look at players behind Hardman as options before the Chiefs’ regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 12 at Arrowhead Stadium.
“The thought process is I know what Mecole can do,” Toub said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ve got to evaluate the guys that are down (on the depth chart).
“You can never tell how many kick returners you’re going to get, so if you want to see a guy, you better put him in there. You’ll see other guys start, even this week. You’ll see different people in there.”
Toub’s plan means Hardman, and most likely Byron Pringle, who led the team in returns last year, won’t field kicks at all this preseason. The Chiefs are likely to follow their game plan from the preseason opener, which saw a rotation of players in return roles against the 49ers.
Cornerback Mike Hughes and wide receivers Darius Shepherd and Gehrig Dieter split duty at punt returner, while Hughes, running back Jerick McKinnon and Daurice Fountain each had their turn at kick returner.
Hughes posted an electrifying 40-yard kickoff return on a play in which he fielded the ball 8 yards inside the end zone.
“He did a nice job,” Toub said of Hughes. “We put him in there — punt returner and kick returner. As a kick returner, he really hit it. I told our guys to come out no matter where the ball was kicked; that’s why he came out 8 (yards) deep.”
Toub also noted how well his special teams players blocked on the play. Hughes nearly broke it for a touchdown.
“I think we were one block away from scoring on that play, but he really hit it and it was encouraging to see him do that,” Toub said. “We knew he had returner ability and it was good to see it in a game.”
With 32 special teams snaps against the Niners, Toud had ample opportunity to evaluate the Chiefs’ return-man personnel, including former Blue Springs High standout Shepherd.
Shepherd returned two punts for 29 yards, averaging 14.5 per attempt, and should see more opportunities Friday night against the Arizona Cardinals.
“He’s a solid catcher,” Toub said of Shepherd. “I can count on him. He’s going to catch the ball great, talking punt returns. He didn’t get an opportunity at kick returner. We’re going to try and get him one this week.”
As for what he hopes to see out of Shepherd, the special teams coordinator identified explosiveness.
“I want to see that burst, the NFL burst,” Toub said. “You want to see that, and he’ll get more opportunities this week.”
PARTICIPATION REPORT
Defensive end Frank Clark (hamstring), defensive end Demone Harris (oblique), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (hip flexor) and defensive tackle Jarran Reed (cramps) left practice early.
With Clark exiting the field, second-year defensive end Mike Danna filled in at right defensive end.
Guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (hand), offensive lineman Kyle Long (knee) and rookie defensive lineman Malik Herring (knee) continued to work off to the side with athletic trainers.
Before practice, the Chiefs made roster moves to trim the roster from 90 players to 85.
Wide receiver Chad Williams and running back Elijah McGuire (ankle) were placed on injured reserve; tight end Evan Baylis (ankle) and wide receiver Antonio Callaway (bone bruise) were waived with injury designations; and defensive back Manny Patterson was waived outright.
If Baylis and Callaway clear waivers, they will revert to the Chiefs’ injured reserve corps.
The Chiefs have two more roster deadlines to meet before the start of the regular season. The next occurs Aug. 24, when they must cut from 85 to 80 players before setting their initial 53-player roster on Aug. 31.
OBSERVATIONS
- Mike Remmers, who opened training camp as the starting right tackle, continued to work with the second-team offense at left tackle after recently returning to practice. Rookie Lucas Niang, who opted out the 2020 season, worked with the first-team offense at right tackle for the 11th straight practice. Niang also started the preseason opener.
- The Chiefs returned to pads Tuesday, a day after being in shells, and the meant one-on-one battles. One of the better drills featured pass protection, pitting the running backs and tight ends against the linebackers and safeties. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams had a strong outing. Edwards-Helaire stonewalled linebacker Anthony Hitchens, while Williams held his own against linebacker Willie Gay Jr. Among the tight ends, Blake Bell was the most polished blocker.
- The offensive line and defensive line enjoyed a spirited outing, with rookie right guard Trey Smith’s battle against star defensive lineman Chris Jones commanding the spotlight. Smith stopped Jones cold on one block. On the very next repetition, however, Jones got the better of Smith with a power rush under Smith’s pads. Jones then used leverage and tossed aside the mammoth rookie.
- During 9-on-7 drills, which featured a lot of running plays, the Chiefs’ offensive line blew open a hole on the right side behind Smith and fellow rookie Creed Humphrey, allowing running back Edwards-Helaire to hit the second level.
- A day after working with the third-team defense while being mixed in with the first- and second-team units, safety Juan Thornhill was to back rotating in with the starting defense.
- Quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with Hardman down the right sideline during team drills. Hardman made a nifty catch, reaching out with both hands to secure an over-the-shoulder ball.
- Tight end Jody Fortson, who has made his share of head-turning catches during camp, had a leaping two-handed grab near the right sideline. Rookie cornerback Dicaprio Bootle made a great hustle play, chasing him down to knock loose the ball.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 3:00 PM.
