Bills Reporter Hints At Buffalo Releasing 3-Time Super Bowl Champion At Roster Cut Deadline

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Recently promoted President of Football Operations and General Manager Brandon Beane is working overtime right now, trying to piece together the best Buffalo Bills roster that he possibly can. He has until Sunday at 6 p.m. ET to trim his roster from 90 to 53 players. The decisions won’t be easy.

It could involve moving on from some very accomplished football players, possibly even a multi-time Super Bowl winner.

Buffalo Bills Predicted to Cut Mecole Hardman

One area that’s come under intense scrutiny in Buffalo is the wide receiver position. The Bills responded by trading for D.J. Moore and using a fourth-round pick on Skyler Bell. Those additions will be key as the Bills pare down the roster to pick the best receivers for the team.

In doing so, Bills insider Joe Buscaglia of “The Athletic” believes three-time Super Bowl-winning receiver Mecole Hardman could get left off the team.

Buscaglia instead projects the Bills to keep Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, and Bell. He also pointed out that Hardman’s ability as a punt returner could earn him additional consideration.

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“The top five are pretty secure, so it comes down to whether the Bills would keep a sixth,” Buscaglia explains. “With all five locks trending well health-wise toward Week 1, keeping another could be less pressing. Mecole Hardman and Trent Sherfield were both considered, but Hardman’s main draw is as the punt returner. Despite Davis muffing a punt on Thursday, the Bills at least have some safer backup options in-house in Dee Alford and Shakir.”

While it’s certainly possible that the Bills won’t have a roster spot available for Hardman, that doesn’t mean the 28-year-old couldn’t stick around on Buffalo’s practice squad.

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“Having Hardman on the practice squad, if they can get him there, would be a good insurance policy for Davis,” Buscaglia added. “Sherfield, with his locker-room presence and skill set, seems like a tremendous practice squad asset throughout the season, and since he’s a vested veteran, he’s not subject to waivers.”

Even though it’s hard to picture Hardman landing among the Bills’ top-five receivers, Buscaglia lays out a situation where it seems like the team would still like to keep him in the organization if possible. Of course, there are 31 other teams that could have their eye on the Bills’ speedster receiver/returner, too.

The Bills’ offense ranked third in PFN’s Offense Impact Metric last season with an impact score of 86.5, and since they’ve already upgraded the receiver position with Bell and Moore, Hardman’s exit is likely.

Hardman played in just two regular-season games for the Bills last season, but he made an immediate impact with a 61-yard kick return before later departing with a calf injury after fumbling a punt. The question is whether the Bills value what he offers on special teams enough to garner a roster spot. If not, Hardman will likely have several opportunities elsewhere.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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