KC Chiefs Remaining Patient With Mecole Hardman as Primary Return Man

Despite an up-and-down start from Hardman in his second stint with the Chiefs, the team isn't going away from him as its go-to returner.

Thanks to the overwhelming success of kicker Harrison Butker and punter Tommy Townsend, the Kansas City Chiefs' special teams unit remains one of the best in the NFL. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub's reputation as a top-shelf coach isn't going anywhere, although there's plenty of room for improvement in two specific areas.

One of them is the kickoff realm, as Kansas City has brought back the second-lowest number of kicks in 2023. With that said, that could be viewed as a potential advantage given the NFL's rule changes to bring any form of fair catch or touchback out to the 25-yard line. Punt returns are the primary concern. The Chiefs enter Sunday's play tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the seventh-worst average yardage per punt return. They share the league lead with the New York Giants for the most muffed punts (four). 

Prior to the club's Week 7 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, they made a move to reunite with wide receiver Mecole Hardman. A big reason why that trade was made, presumably, was to shore up any shortcomings in the return game. Outside of a stellar 50-yard scurry in his first game back, things haven't gone swimmingly for the fifth-year man.

Due to a combination of one fumble and some questionable decisions, Hardman has underwhelmed at times in his second stint with the Chiefs. Even with those inconsistencies, though, Toub remains confident in the veteran wideout. This week, he said Kansas City isn't making a change and will stick with Hardman moving forward.

“Yeah, we have faith in Mecole, Mecole’s fine," Toub said. "Keep improving on his decision making and we’ll be fine. We have a long way to go, we’re getting better and better each week.”

Hardman has brought back seven punt returns this year, logging five fair catches as well. Since the beginning of Week 8, he's logged six punt returns for a combined 11 yards. One of his attempts was a seven-yard effort in Week 9's win over the Miami Dolphins, but the context of it makes things iffy. Hardman fielded a Jake Bailey boot at the three-yard line, which made many collectively scratch their heads. Toub confirmed that it wasn't the right call on Hardman's behalf, saying he needs to be more aware of his surroundings.

"Not in that situation," Toub said. "I mean [on] that one, he kind of kept drifting back. We had a return call, so he wanted to return it, we had double the gunners and we had a return set up, but the ball just kept drifting back and he's got to have awareness of where he's at. That probably would have been a touchback."

The Chiefs have dealt with poor decision-making processes in the return game before, as 2022 saw then-rookie Skyy Moore struggle immensely on punt duty. But Hardman isn't even on a rookie contract anymore — patience from the coaching staff shouldn't be nearly as necessary. Kansas City is exercising it anyway, doubling down on its belief that Hardman can iron some things out in time for the playoffs.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hardman's 51.2 grade ranks 32nd out of 37 players to return seven or more punts this season. Simply put, that level of production isn't going to cut it down the stretch. The Chiefs know firsthand what a big-time return can do in a big-time game (this year's AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LVII, for example), and Hardman still clearly has that upside. On the other hand, more consistent play will help level things out in the interim. Toub and company are supporting their 25-year-old as the go-to option in those situations, so it's on him to ensure that he rewards that faith.

Despite Penalties, Chiefs Are Fully Confident in L’Jarius Sneed