Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman suffers setback, won’t play vs. Denver Broncos on Sunday
Early-week optimism about Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman possibly being activated from the reserve/injury list in time for Sunday’s noon home game against Denver gave way to stark reality Friday.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Hardman suffered a setback on Wednesday and will not play against the Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“He just had some pain,” Reid said. “It was like a tweak up in the groin area, so we just backed him off. I don’t want to take steps back.”
The Chiefs took precautionary steps by holding Hardman out of practice Thursday and Friday.
Hardman, who is in a contract year, hasn’t played since Week 9. The Chiefs placed him on injured reserve with an abdominal issue on Nov. 17. Before the injury, Hardman has appeared in eight games with five starts, totaling 328 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns (four receiving, two rushing).
The Chiefs designated the fourth-year receiver as “return to practice” on Dec. 14, opening a 21-day evaluation window in which the Chiefs must decide whether to reinstate him to their active 53-man roster or leave him on injured reserve.
The latter scenario would end Hardman’s season.
While the clock on Hardman is set to expire Wednesday, Reid didn’t sound overly concerned Friday.
“I think as long as he’s progressing and working to get better here, we’ll be OK,” Reid said. “If he can’t (play), then he can’t. Then we move on and keep going with the guys we got.”
The Chiefs still have ample depth at the wide receiver position Sunday with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney and rookie Skyy Moore.
Smith-Schuster, who leads the position group with 74 catches for 877 yards and three touchdowns, said fellow receivers have offered words of encouragement to Hardman in hopes of keeping his spirits up.
“He’s a strong individual,” Smith-Schuster said. “He’s going to bounce back. He’s going to help us in the long run, the stretch. ... I know Mecole — he wants to be out there, he wants to play.
“But at the same time, it’s all about the timing when he’s ready.”
Reid said there were no other injury updates to report. The Chiefs will enter Sunday’s game with a relatively healthy roster.
