Chris Jones among winners of Kansas City Chiefs offseason

Mecole Hardman

Entering the 2020 offseason, many believed that the Chiefs would be losing Demarcus Robinson to free agency and that the salary cap would force the team to part ways with Sammy Watkins. Fast-forward three months and Watkins gave the Chiefs a team-friendly restructure to stay in Kansas City for (at least) one more season. Robinson did not find a home on the open market and also returned to Kansas City on a very team-friendly deal.

The end result was a team that did not feel the need to add a wide receiver in the draft. Second year speedster Mecole Hardman wins big as a result. In fact, there are two reasons why Hardman wins big as a result of the 2020 offseason.

First, what was clear in 2019 was that Hardman is incredibly talented and has speed to burn on the football field. What was also clear was that it is going to take him some time to pick up Andy Reid’s complicated playbook—Hardman is hardly the first—and to mature as a NFL-caliber route runner who can consistently get separation from cornerbacks. The return of Watkins and Robinson gives him another year to do just that, and in the longer run, it should pay huge dividends for Hardman.

Hardman will likely start the season as the fourth wide receiver, but after investing a second round pick in him last year, by season’s end, the team will want him to be taking reps from Robinson as they prepare for the aforementioned to likely walk in free agency in 2021.

Second, he’s a near lock to be the second starting wide receiver for Kansas City because of those exits. In this offense, that means a huge target percentage, which equals massive opportunities to contribute and raise your overall profile as a professional. Getting that shot in 2021 instead of 2022 means that he’ll have two full years to increase his stock before hitting free agency for the first time.

Not drafting a wide receiver in 2020 should make Mecole Hardman a lot of money in 2023 and for that, he’s a big winner.