Mecole Hardman placed on Chiefs reserve COVID-19 list

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed Mecole Hardman on the team’s COVID reserve list.

The timing of the bye week might be fortunate in more ways than expected for the Kansas City Chiefs with the news that wide receiver and Pro Bowl returner Mecole Hardman has been placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, per NFL reporter Field Yates.

Nothing further was made known about Hardman at this time, including whether or not he has personally tested positive or whether he was part of contract tracing efforts connected with someone else who did test positive. Further details are sure to emerge from Arrowhead in the hours and days to come.

The Chiefs are actually headed into their bye in Week 10 on the NFL’s regular season schedule, so this is ideal timing if something like this had to happen to Hardman. The Chiefs are already hoping the time off to rest and recuperate will help others get healthy—including wide receiver Sammy Watkins, right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, defensive lineman Alex Okafor and others.

Hardman has 25 catches for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns so far in through the air in 2020 for the Chiefs. He’s also added two rushes for 16 yards on the ground. He has even greater value to the team as a returner where he’s averaged 6.6 yards per punt return and 21.1 yards on kick returns. He was named to the Pro Bowl last season as a rookie returner after the team selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft.

If the Chiefs have to go without Hardman for a spell moving forward and Watkins is also not healed from a hamstring injury, the offense will be significantly affected despite the presence of other impact players like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce as they prepare to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11.