Two games into the season, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s usage has become one of the stranger numbers in Arizona.
The Cardinals receiver has only one catch for 33 yards so far, and the bigger surprise is how little the ball has gone his way: just four targets despite playing 77 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
Part of that comes with context. One of those games was against Seattle, a defense that has been shutting down almost everyone since the start of last season.
After Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said Harrison’s one target in that game shouldn’t be overread, pointing out that “we didn’t throw the ball for crap anyway.” Jacoby Brissett finished with 95 passing yards on 28 attempts.
Still, four targets for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft is enough to make people look twice.
On Monday, LaFleur pushed back on the idea that Harrison’s quiet start has anything to do with effort.
“I don’t see it that way. I think his running style is different than some other people’s - I would say that,” LaFleur said. “If that’s people’s narrative on him, that’s fine, but I know his teammates don’t feel that way.
“It’s a long season - we’re two games in,” LaFleur added. “There were some opportunities yesterday that I thought that either the defense dictated that it couldn’t go there or just self-inflicted wounds - it was kind of 50-50.”
Arizona now turns to another division opponent, the 49ers, in Week 3, with Harrison and the Cardinals looking to get things moving.
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Head coach Mike LaFleur pointed to the areas that broke down, from third-down execution to problems in both pass protection and run blocking. He said the group has to sharpen its timing, execution and play-calling if it wants to hold up against elite defenses, which leaves the Cardinals with a familiar but uncomfortable task: figuring out whether this was a one-game stumble or a sign of something deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Marvin Harrison Jr. Is Giving Cardinals Fans A Real Reason To Worry
Marvin Harrison Jr. arrived in Arizona with the kind of first-round expectations that can follow a receiver for years, and early in his young career he has yet to fully match that billing. The Cardinals are still waiting for the steady, game-changing production they envisioned when they made him their 2024 first-round pick, and the first two weeks of the 2026 season did little to quiet the concern.
In the opener, Harrison caught one pass for 33 yards, then came away empty in the next game as the offense struggled to find him consistently. Mike LaFleur said Harrison was getting to the right spots, which only sharpens the question of what has to change for the connection to click, especially with Harrison under contract through 2027 on a fully guaranteed rookie deal. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Got A Harsh Reality Check On Their Offense
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The offense is the biggest reason for the lukewarm view, especially after the loss to the Seahawks exposed how uneven the unit can be. There are already questions around the starting quarterback and the first-round running back, and until Arizona shows more consistency on that side of the ball, the Cardinals are going to keep hearing the same message from outsiders: competitive, but still a step behind the teams they need to catch. [Read more 🡒]