The rookie has immense potential as a punt returner
The Buffalo Bills have overhauled their defensive secondary this offseason. They lost three veterans, all former All-Pro players, in cornerback Tre’Davious White and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. With all three players experiencing multiple injuries over the last few years in addition to surpassing or coming up on 30 years of age, it was a matter of time until the band broke up.
General manager Brandon Beane made the difficult decision to move on from all three of those players at once, and while it’s likely to be a decision that hurts in the short term, he and the Bills are banking on it paying off in the next few years. By moving on to younger players, the team can ensure that they have a group in the building that learns the system and grows together. There are likely to be mental mistakes early, but the hope is that the added athleticism and physicality of younger players lessens the impact of those errors.
In today’s edition of “91 players in 91 days,” we’ll discuss a rookie in the secondary who isn’t likely to take over for any of those three veterans mentioned above. He’s someone who has a pathway to making an impact in his rookie season, however.
Daequan Hardy
- Number: 25
- Position: CB
- Height/Weight: 5’9”, 178 pounds
- Age: 23 (24 on 6/13/2025)
- Experience/Draft: R; selected by the Bills in the sixth round (No. 219 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft
- College: Penn State
- Acquired: Sixth-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Hardy enters the first year of his rookie contract, a four-year pact worth $4,158,388 overall. For the 2024 season, Hardy carries a cap hit of $829,597 if he makes the team. Buffalo will carry the entirety of his contract guarantees, or $138,388, in the form of a dead-cap charge if he’s released.
2023 Recap: Hardy made a tremendous impact for the Nittany Lions last season both on defense and as a punt returner. He played in 11 games, starting two on defense. He set a career high in total tackles, finishing with 22 on the year. He also tied his career highs in tackles for loss (3), interceptions (2), sacks (1), and pass breakups (7).
As a punt returner, he averaged 14.6 yards per return on 14 tries, scoring two touchdowns to boot. He tied the school record for most punt return touchdowns thanks to his efforts this season alone. He was voted Second-Team All-America as a return specialist by CBS Sports. He was also voted Second-Team All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches for his efforts as a returner, but he also earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors as a cornerback in the same coaches’ poll.
Hardy was invited the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, where he tested quite well. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, leapt 42.5” in the vertical jump, and showed off a 10’6” broad jump. Only four corners at the combine ran a faster 40 than Hardy, and no corner beat him in the vertical jump test.
Positional outlook: Hardy is limited by his size to being a slot corner only at this level, and the Bills have two players ahead of him in Taron Johnson and Cam Lewis who have been with the team for quite some time. Johnson is among the best slot corners in the NFL, as well. As a punt returner, he’ll likely be in the mix for top reps.
2024 Offseason: Hardy is healthy and participating in offseason work. He is at training camp.
2024 Season outlook: Hardy’s role this season isn’t difficult to ascertain: if he’s going to make the team, he’s going to need to do so as the primary punt return man. Buffalo is likely to keep at least three boundary corners in addition to the two slot guys mentioned above (Rasul Douglas, Kaiir Elam, and Christian Benford are givens), and they’ll likely keep a fourth in someone like Ja’Marcus Ingram or Dee Delaney.
Will Hardy do enough as a punt returner that the team keeps seven cornerbacks on the roster? I think he will, but Hardy is in no way a lock for the roster. It will be a bonus if he proves himself worthy on defense when given some reps this preseason, as well.
Both Johnson and Lewis will be at or near 30 years old when their respective contracts expire, so if the Bills view Hardy as a potential long-term option in the slot, it gives him a better chance at making the team this year. He’s a guy squarely on the bubble, as I imagine he’s anywhere from the 51st to the 55th person in camp in terms of “who is on the team.” How he performs throughout the summer will determine his fate.