We are getting so close to the start of the 2026 NFL season and before you know it, Bills fans will be watching the Buffalo Bills take the field down in Houston to take on the Texans. Throughout this entire offseason, the Bills have gone through a good amount of changes and we will very soon find out who will be part of the final roster come September time.
One unit that fans will be interested to see how it plays out is the wide receiver room, that has been under a lot of criticism the last two years because there was no true No. 1 receiver. With DJ Moore now in the building after being acquired by the Bills via trade with the Chicago Bears, the rest of the room can now have true competition.
Bills' WR room is biggest unit to closely follow during roster cutdowns
In the past, the Bills have typically only carried 5 wide receivers on the roster. Now that Joe Brady is in charge, maybe another one will be added to the room. However, everyone who is in the room right now definitely won’t be there come roster cutdowns.
One receiver that could find himself on another team outside of Buffalo is Mecole Hardman Jr., who has been with the Bills since after last season's trade deadline. He was signed to the practice squad, but only played in two regular season games against the Buccaneers and Browns (he was put on the IR after suffering an injury against the Bucs).
He did manage to play in the Bills' Divisional Round matchup against the Denver Broncos and he did score the game's opening touchdown. However, that was all that he did. He re-signed with the Bills this offseason, but Carter Bahns of CBS Sports is projecting Hardman to be released by the Bills.
"His prime was short-lived, though, coming in the first four years of his career. Hardman has not scored a touchdown since 2022 and played two games for the Bills last year only because they were desperate enough at wide receiver to elevate him from the practice squad." said Bahns.
Fans should not be surprised if Mecole Hardman Jr. is released
Buffalo's wide receiver room consists of guys like DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Skyler Bell, Trent Sherfield, Hardman, and then Tyrell Shavers (who still recovering from a torn ACL in the playoffs last season).
Moore, Shakir, Coleman, Bell, and Palmer should very well be on the roster. That's five already, and if the Bills want to bring on six receivers, then someone like Sherfield could have an advantage because he's better on special teams.
Now, if Hardman is released, he could always find a way back to the practice squad if it works out for both sides. At the same time, nothing is ever guaranteed. Maybe Hardman makes the final roster, maybe he doesn't. Either way, fans shouldn't be surprised to see him be released just because of their current receiver setup.
Add us as a preferred source on Google