Andy Reid Provides Week 17 Injury Update on Mecole Hardman
As the final stretch of the 2022 NFL campaign is here, the Kansas City Chiefs are in a decent spot health-wise.
Aside from wide receiver Mecole Hardman and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire landing on the injured reserve list semi-recently, Kansas City has been in good shape heading into its last slate of the regular season. Not only is wide receiver Kadarius Toney been back in the fold after missing time with a hamstring injury, but tight end Blake Bell got activated off the injured reserve list last week just in time for his season debut. Andy Reid's team also escaped Week 16 without any significant new injuries.
This week's injury report contained five players through Thursday's practice. Fullback Michael Burton, tight end Noah Gray, defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and offensive tackle Andrew Wylie were all full participants during the week with various ailments, and tackle Prince Tega Wanogho returned on Friday after missing Thursday's practice with an illness. As far as players listed on the injury report are concerned, the Chiefs are fine.
The question of the week, however, pertained to Hardman. The fourth-year wideout has merely a handful of days left before the team is required to either add him to the active roster or effectively end his 2022 season. On Wednesday, Reid said that Hardman would be available for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos "unless there's a setback." After that, Hardman missed back-to-back days of practice as he wasn't visible during the brief media availability portion. On Friday, Reid took the podium to provide his final updates of the week and also elaborate on Hardman's injury situation.
Reid explained Hardman's setback as a "tweak" with some pain "up in the groin area." Hardman hasn't played since Nov. 6 due to an ongoing abdominal issue, and it appears that returning to practice this week caused something to flare up and hinder his progress. With that said, Reid said he wasn't worried about the upcoming activation window closing before Hardman is ready to rejoin the active roster. That, specifically, is a bright spot in what otherwise continues to be a nagging situation for both the Chiefs and their speedy receiver.
