The New York Jets revamped their wide receiver depth chart this offseason. The only holdover who made it from last season’s roster to Week 1 of the 2023 season was Offensive Rookie of the Year, Garrett Wilson.
Corey Davis surprisingly retired during the offseason. Braxton Berrios was released while Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims were both traded. That led to a lot of new talent being brought in at the position.
One of the more intriguing signings was Mecole Hardman. Hardman spent the first four seasons of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs before hitting free agency this offseason. The Jets signed him to a one-year deal hoping he could bring some explosiveness and big-play ability to their unit.
When healthy, Hardman was someone that the Chiefs could scheme plays for in the red zone given his immense athleticism. No matter where he lined up in the formation, you had to keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately, things haven’t panned out in New York. He has been buried on the depth chart, to the point he was a healthy scratch in the Jets’ Week 5 victory over the Denver Broncos. As a result, they are looking into options involving him according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
The Jets are looking to do good by Hardman, finding him a home that will enable him to play more. A potential trade could be in the works Fowler noted.
Hardman was far from the only wide receiver added this offseason as the Jets also signed Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, two favorites of Aaron Rodgers. They are two players who also know the scheme that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett wants to run, which gave them a leg up for playing time.
Adding those two with training camp standout Xavier Gipson, it is easy to see why Hardman fell out of favor heading into the regular season. However, there are a number of teams around the NFL that could use a spark offensively, as a trade certainly seems plausible for the former Georgia product.
