Fighting for a roster spot, Packers’ WR Mecole Hardman needs quick bounce back in Week 2 of preseason

Paul Bretl | 8/12/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Like many players on this Packers team, wide receiver Mecole Hardman will have to correct the miscues and bounce back quickly following his performance in Green Bay’s preseason opener against the New York Jets.

Hardman saw extended action on offense in this contest, playing 27 snaps with 20 of them coming on passing plays. However, he ended up having just one target the entire night, and it ended up being a dropped pass.

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On special teams, Hardman had two punt return attempts. On the first one, he fielded the kick inside the 10-yard line, failed to make a defender miss, and was brought down.

Backed up near their own end zone, Malik Willis was strip-sacked and the Jets recovered for the touchdown.

On the second punt return attempt, after letting the ball bounce, Hardman didn’t get a friendly hop but still attempted to scoop it up. However, he never gained control of it. The Jets would recover the fumble and their offense would end up getting a field goal out of that possession.

“I just needed to make better decisions,” Hardman said after the game. “I made two bad decisions, so that’s all on me. It happened fast, so you just want to make something happen, or make better decisions.

“At the end of the day, I’ve just got to make better decisions. Ball’s inside the 5, just let it go. You know, stuff I already know. Stuff that I’m aware of. But it’s still the first preseason game. It’s not good to put it on tape, but we’ve got two more games to go out there and make up for it.”

Hardman signed with the Packers this offseason as a free agent. He comes to Green Bay with plenty of big game experience, which includes playing in and winning multiple Super Bowls, along with catching the game-winning touchdown in the 2023 Super Bowl.

But in Green Bay, Hardman is currently fighting for a roster spot with the Packers in what is a crowded receiver room. Contributing on special teams, specifically as a return man, where Hardman has experience and is a former All-Pro, was always going to play an important role in helping him secure a spot on the 53-man.

Wanting to make the big play as a fringe roster player may have contributed to the aggressive decision-making that we saw on Saturday.

“The disappointing thing was, the place that he was inside the 10 — in practice, he’s done a really good job with it,” Rich Bisaccia said on Sunday. “He’s helped our young guys about making a fake away from the catch or being in position to block or letting it go into the end zone.

“So I’m hoping he was just trying to make too big of a play too early, but really the best decision would’ve been make the play that’s there. Make the fair catch on one or let it go and stay away from the one on the ground. So I’m expecting him to respond the right way and come back and have a good week.”

Going back to offseason programs, Hardman has had a knack for making splash plays in practice, particularly during the highly competitive red zone and two-minute periods.

While those plays are great, making the team will come down to day-to-day and down-to-down consistency.

“He’s done a lot of good things,” Matt LaFleur said of Hardman. He’s made a splash play every day, but again, with all, not just Mecole, all these guys, it’s just the level of consistency. I mean, it’s little plays here and there, the level of detail that you need to have in order for us to get more opportunities.

“So, yeah, he’s certainly a playmaker, and we know what type of player he can be as a returner. Just still continuing to, I mean, he’s new to the system, and he’s going to continue to learn and get better and better and better.”

It still remains to be seen whether the Packers will roster five, six, or even seven wide receivers. But if they go with six, Hardman and Malik Heath are likely competing for that final roster spot.

That one performance against the Jets won’t define Hardman’s training camp performance, but rebounding quickly from it will be a must.

“I’ve got to have short-term memory,” Hardman said. “If you let it affect you, you know, it’s going to affect you next week too. So, you’ve got 24 hours to go over it and look at it and after that, just let it go and onto the next game.”