Chiefs Carving Out New Role for Mecole Hardman Makes a Ton of Sense

2019 second-round pick and Super Bowl champion Mecole Hardman was an X-factor throughout the Chiefs' magical 2019 season. Combining his receiving, rushing and returning stats, Hardman put up an impressive 1,426 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns. Throughout the 2019 season, KC used Hardman in a way that they could get him the ball in space and let him work from there.

Going into 2020, Kansas City’s offense is looking for more ways to be innovative. Led by head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the offense will involve Hardman at a greater clip. One of the ways they could do so is actually by cutting back on Hardman’s usage on special teams.

While it may sound like a questionable decision, it actually turns out that cutting back on Hardman’s return workload could benefit all parties. Going into year two of his career, Hardman proved he can be a solid complimentary piece to receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins.

Whether Hardman is working out of the slot, on the outside or in the return game, he is bound to make a big play anywhere, and Reid and Bieniemy took notice in 2019.

KC’s special teams helped to turn the tide of a few games last year. Using less of Hardman should not cause a significant drop in productivity, especially with the amount of return weapons Kansas City has at their disposal.