According to general manager Brian Gutekunst, Mecole Hardman, who the Packers signed earlier this month, could play a vital role both as a punt returner and kick returner this fall.
“Absolutely, both as a punt returner and a kick returner,” Gutekunst told reporters at the NFL Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale when asked if Hardman could help take some of the strain off Nixon on kickoffs.
“He’s a little bit more experience in the punt return game than the kick return game but he can do both. He’s obviously going to add some speed to our football team. He’s been in big games and played well in big games.”
As the Packers’ official website points out, Hardman has plenty of experience returning kickoffs and punts, including 45 career kickoff returns for 1,073 yards (23.8 ypr) and 89 punts for 819 yards (9.2 ypr), including a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in 2020.
So, while Hardman’s one-year contract worth $1.5 million is a bargain by receiver standards, and he has the chance to work his way into the rotation on offense, his most vital contribution may come in the return game.
