Mecole Hardman’s grip on a Bills roster spot looks shaky after a rough preseason moment against the Steelers on Thursday.
In the first quarter, the former Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowler failed to haul in a pass from Shane Buechele while totally unmarked. It was Hardman’s latest drop, pushing his total to eight, and it came on a sequence that helped kill the drive. Buffalo ended up settling for a field goal after back-to-back incompletions.
That miscue only poured fuel on the growing talk around Hardman’s future. One blunt reaction captured the mood: "He is getting cut. Give Ray Davis the punt return job."
Hardman arrived in Buffalo in November 2025 after a short practice-squad stint with the Green Bay Packers. His regular-season role was tiny: two games, no offensive snaps, and just two punt returns plus one kickoff return for 65 combined yards. His only real playoff impact came in the Divisional Round against the Denver Broncos, when he caught a four-yard touchdown from Josh Allen.
Hardman wasn’t the only Bill under the microscope before kickoff. Sports Illustrated’s Randy Gurzi identified four players who could be taking their final snaps with the team against Pittsburgh, and Hardman was one of them.
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger was another name on that list. His path has gotten crowded fast, with Lloyd Cushenberry stepping in for injured Connor McGovern and Austin Corbett also in the mix at center.
Damar Hamlin was included as well. Drafted in 2021 and a constant in the secondary since then, Hamlin has been returning on one-year deals after his original contract expired following 2024.
But with Cole Bishop and C.J. Gardner-Johnson now on the roster, his standing is far less secure.
The fourth player Gurzi pointed to was punter Mitch Wishnowsky. Buffalo had already cycled through Brad Robbins and Cameron Johnston early in the 2025 season before Wishnowsky held the job the rest of the way, all the way through the Divisional Round. Now, seventh-round rookie Tommy Doman is putting pressure on that spot too.
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