5 players Sean Payton could help steal from Broncos division rivals
5. Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
I guess you can’t just plug anybody into the Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes offense and they will find instant success. The Kansas City Chiefs are poised to move on from Mecole Hardman in 2023 with their recent acquisitions of players like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster is likely to get re-signed this offseason but Hardman, a former second-round pick out of Georgia, could very well hit free agency.
Hardman has big-time speed (as you would expect a skill player from Kansas City to have) and he’s proven throughout his NFL career that he can be effective not only on offense but also on special teams. In fact, in his rookie year, he was more than just “effective” on special teams, he was a second-team All-Pro.
The Broncos do have some receivers with upside on the roster and under contract. But instead of thinking of Hardman as a replacement for one of the “top” guys, consider him a replacement on the roster for someone like Kendall Hinton, KJ Hamler, or Montrell Washington, except you don’t have to get rid of any of those guys until after camp if you don’t want to.
The Broncos need more playmakers on offense. They also need to take more calculated risks on players in free agency. Depending on what Hardman’s asking price is, it would be an outstanding risk-reward proposition for the Denver Broncos to take a shot on his talent in Sean Payton’s offense, especially considering he’s just barely going to be 25 when he hits free agency.
Sign Hardman to a one-year deal. See if it can work in Sean Payton’s offense. Give him a shot to prove he can be a playmaker. The Broncos need players offensively that can add speed to the equation and give you a fail-safe in case Hamler can’t stay healthy again.
Hardman missed nine regular season games this past season, so his value is probably going to be quite low. The Broncos should buy low here and see if they can strike some gold.