Who Should I Start? Mecole Hardman or Henry Ruggs III

Tuesday, March 18, 9:06 PM

Free-agent wide receiver/return specialist Mecole Hardman (knee) is signing an undisclosed one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hardman will take his speed to the Packers while contributing both on offense and special teams as a kick returner. The 27-year-old former second-rounder (56th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 out of the University of Georgia caught only 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards and no touchdowns while carrying the ball five times for 62 yards and a touchdown in 12 regular-season games before suffering a knee injury in December that landed him on Injured Reserve. The Packers could use the receiver depth with Christian Watson (knee) likely to miss around half of the 2025 season, but Hardman could struggle for consistent involvement in Green Bay's offense, much like he did in KC, behind Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs.

Wednesday, June 25, 3:16 PM

NFL reporter Albert Breer said he believes we could see Henry Ruggs III in an NFL uniform again. The former Las Vegas Raiders wideout pleaded guilty to felony DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after a deadly crash in November of 2021 and has been behind bars for the last few years. Ruggs recently spoke as part of a Hope for Prisoners event in Las Vegas and said he wished he could "turn back the hands of time." "It was a horrific, horrific accident, and that's always the first thing to consider on it." Breer wrote. "But eventually, people will start to look forward, and Ruggs's public appearance was at least a reminder that he's eligible for parole in early August 2026, a little over a year from now. At that point, he'll be 27 and, at least on paper, he'd be in the heart of his athletic prime. It's unclear whether the NFL would suspend him. I checked in with the league office and was told the matter would be "reviewed" ahead of reinstatement." Breer mentioned the two-year prison sentence served by former NFL quarterback Michael Vick as the closest comparison to the situation. It would be up to an NFL team to decide if he is deserving of a second chance, but deservedly so, it would be a controversial development.