The Buffalo Bills shook up their offense last week, signing veteran Mecole Hardman to boost the offense and take over return duties.
Hardman had an immediate impact, taking the first kick return for 61 yards to set the tone, but was later injured and missed the end of the game. With his status for Thursday’s game uncertain, Hardman could be giving up return duties to the player who lost his job — and his spot on the roster — to make room for him.
Bills Bring Back Former Return Man
The Bills waived cornerback and return specialist Brandon Codrington last week, clearing a spot for Hardman to join the active roster for the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They brought him back to the practice squad on Tuesday, with WGR 550 reporter Sal Capaccio predicting he would take Hardman’s spot if he’s unable to play against the Houston Texans on Thursday.
“Bills have signed PR/KR Brandon Codrington to the team’s practice squad,” Capaccio wrote in a post on X. “Mecole Hardman has a calf injury. Codrington could be an option Thursday.”
Codrington joined the team in a trade before the 2024 season and held down return duties through the 2024 season, but fell victim to a lack of roster versatility and inconsistency in the return game. He struggled when inserted at his given roster position at cornerback and was benched midway through this season.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said at the time that the team wanted to look at other options for returners.
âSeeing how the gameday roster looks with certain players up and certain players down, with the goal of making sure we have our best guys out there,â McDermott told reporters.
Codrington returned 14 kicks for 375 yards this season, a 26.8-yard average. He also returned 10 punts for 58 total yards.
The Bills found success with backup running back Ray Davis in Sunday’s win. He has been a regular kick returner this season and had a game-changing performance against the Buccaneers, returning four kicks for 158 yards, a 39.5-yard average.
Bills Get Bad Sign on Mecole Hardman
Hardman will have a short week to try to recover from his calf injury. He missed the team’s practice on Tuesday, which CBS Sports noted was a dire sign for his availability on Thursday.
“With no on-field activity so far this week, Hardman’s availability for Thursday’s game against the Texans would appear to be in jeopardy,” the report noted. “After the Bills signed him off the practice squad this past week, Hardman failed to haul in his lone target in Sunday’s 44-32 win over the Buccaneers but ran back his lone kickoff return for 61 yards prior to exiting with the calf issue.”
The report added that either Davis or Codrington would likely handle return duties if Hardman is ruled out.
“Ray Davis — who returned four kickoffs for 158 yards Sunday — would be a candidate to step in as the Bills’ top return man if Hardman can’t play Week 12, and Brandon Codrington could also be promoted from the practice squad to help out on returns,” the report noted.
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