Mecole Hardman Jr. has a certain way of thinking about his latest NFL opportunity.
The veteran receiver spoke Wednesday after the Indianapolis Colts signed him to its practice squad Tuesday, adding experience at wide receiver and in the return game.
“Another opportunity. I’m happy to be here and just put my best foot forward and go from there,” Hardman said, via Roundtable.io's Jake Arthur. “Come in, get comfortable, try to get the playbook down. Do all the little necessary things, catching punts, you know, kickoff and stuff like that.”
That return experience gives Indianapolis a helping hand to evaluate as Hardman works toward being game-day ready.
Hardman has averaged 24.7 yards on 46 career kickoff returns and 9.0 yards on 91 punt returns, scoring once in each category. He earned Pro Bowl recognition as a rookie return specialist in 2019.
The 28-year-old also brings 178 career receptions for 2,302 yards and 16 touchdowns across 82 regular-season appearances.
All in all, before a larger role can develop, Hardman is concentrating on learning his assignments, the basic and fundamental parts to start.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts’ Mecole Hardman outlines priorities after joining Indianapolis