The Cardinals made a move that few saw coming, sending Marv Harrison, Jr. to Houston just as their game against the Detroit Lions was getting underway.
Arizona had been fielding calls on Harrison for about two weeks, and the deal finally went through on Sunday. In return, the Cardinals got second- and sixth-round draft picks, while the Texans received Harrison and a sixth-round pick.
Houston and Arizona are both 1-4-0, and Harrison now lands with his former college quarterback, C.J. Stroud.
The timing made the receiver rotation in Arizona look a lot different in real time. Kendrick Bourne and rookie Reggie Virgil were drawing more of the work in the blowout loss to Detroit, and that was no accident given the trade news breaking around kickoff.
Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur addressed the move after the game and made it clear he viewed it as a football decision.
“I just thought it was in the best interest of this club. I’m not going to totally get into that right now.
I really like Marvin Harrison. He’s a good person.
I wish him well. We did what we thought was in the best interest of the Cardinals.”
LaFleur also took ownership of the broader picture when asked about Harrison’s production.
“Any guy that does not play to the level that I feel like they’re capable of, I’m always going to put that on me and coaching in general.”
And when pressed further on why the organization went this direction, he kept it short.
“I’m going to keep the details tight with us.”
Harrison’s place in the offense had already been slipping. Michael Wilson grabbed hold of the WR1 job last year while Harrison dealt with multiple injuries, and Trey McBride has become the team’s top target and reception leader. With Virgil and Jalen Brooks flashing in training camp and the preseason, the receiver room had become crowded, and Harrison increasingly looked like the odd fit in LaFleur’s system.
That is a sharp turn for a player taken fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft after stacking nearly every major college receiver honor imaginable. As a rookie, Harrison saw 116 targets, caught 62 passes and finished with 885 yards.
Since then, his usage has been uneven. Through four games this year, he had been targeted only 13 times, with five catches for 85 yards and one touchdown.
The fit with Jacoby Brissett never really took off on the field, even if the two had a strong relationship in the locker room. Brissett wasn’t looking his way much in games, and the trade now clears the room even more.
At receiver, Brooks is now being projected in the “X” spot after finishing with two catches for 16 yards against Detroit. Bourne paced all Cardinals wideouts with five receptions for 70 yards. Harrison, meanwhile, leaves Arizona with 10 career drops, including one this season.
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