The 2026 NFL regular season is well underway, and players across the league are already beginning to feel the toll that playing football at the highest level takes on their bodies.
Injuries are starting to pile up for every team, with the Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver room taking some heavy hits in particular. Alec Pierce, Josh Down, Ashton Dulin, and Keenan Allen have all been limited in recent weeks, with Pierce being sidelined since Week 2 with a lingering heel injury.
Given this onslaught at the receiver position, the team made a move to bring in some much-needed reinforcements on Tuesday by signing veteran pass catcher Mecole Hardman Jr. to the practice squad.
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Hardman played college ball at Georgia from 2016-2018, establishing himself as a dynamic speed threat in both the passing and return games for the Dawgs before the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Hardman became an immediate contributor for the Chiefs, earning Second-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a rookie for his return game versatility. He was a key contributor in Kansas City’s Super Bowl win that season and helped the team win 2 more titles in 2022 and 2023, the latter of which he caught the game-winning touchdown in.
He spent 2025 with the Buffalo Bills before being cut in August during preseason camp, and he will now make his fourth stop in 8 years in the NFL with the Colts.
