Former Cardinals general manager Steve Keim thinks Arizona may have had another path available before sending Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans.
The Cardinals moved on from their former No. 4 overall pick after weeks of speculation and uneven production from the wide receiver. But Keim argued the club should have looked at the quarterback spot first, suggesting a change under center might have been worth exploring before making the call on Harrison.
In an Instagram story, Keim said Arizona should have started rookie Carson Beck and built around a “big four” of Beck, Harrison, Mack Wilson Sr. and Jeremiyah Love. He also wrote that there needed to be a “body of work” before decisions were made about the future of the franchise.
That idea comes with a built-in what-if. If Beck had been given the start before the trade, the Cardinals could have gotten a better read on how he and Harrison fit together and whether the two young players could have become part of the team’s long-term core. Now, that window is gone.
Of course, there’s no way to know whether starting Beck would have changed Arizona’s decision on Harrison. Maybe it would have, maybe it wouldn’t have. But the move would have given the organization more information before cutting bait on the receiver.
Keim has already said Beck should get some playing time, especially with the club stuck in a four-game skid. And while the organization hasn’t signaled that sweeping changes are on the way, head coach Mike LaFleur said Monday that there would be discussions about moving the rookie quarterback to the active roster instead of leaving him as an emergency third quarterback.
Whether that happens or not, the Cardinals are left wondering if they moved too quickly on Harrison - and with no chance left to see what Beck and Harrison might have become together.
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