Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. is headed to Injured Reserve (IR) after suffering a calf injury during Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That means Hardman will at least miss the next four games on Buffalo’s schedule.
It’s not an entirely surprising roster move given the news that the Bills brought back cornerback Brandon Codrington to the practice squad. His return likely meant Hardman’s injury was going to be more than just a simple day-to-day monitoring situation.
Hardman had not played football at all prior to joining Buffalo ahead of Week 11. Did the Bills put him in action too soon where, instead, he could have used more conditioning time before playing an NFL game at full speed?
The Buffalo Bills originally signed Hardman to the 53-man roster after he had been in Western New York for just three days. Hardman quickly made himself valuable, returning his first kick for 61 yards that set up Buffalo’s first score against the Buccaneers. Later on, quarterback Josh Allen looked his way on a go route after Hardman found breathing room against the Bucs’ secondary.
In the third quarter, Hardman fumbled a punt return that would set up a Tampa Bay score. On the ensuing kickoff, it was Curtis Samuel who joined Ray Davis on the return team instead of Hardman, who was later seen limping on the sideline as he talked with trainers. As the fourth quarter started, Hardman still didn’t return to the field, and eventually the Bills announced that he had been ruled out with a calf injury.
With Hardman to IR, that leaves Buffalo with 52 players on the active roster — opening the door for another player to be signed to the active 53-man roster in Hardman’s absence. The Bills will announce final rosters 90 minutes before kickoff this evening.