The Browns have already given themselves a reason to feel better about their wide receiver future, but that hasn’t stopped one more big-name idea from bubbling up.
KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have made a strong early impression through two games. Concepcion, the 24th overall pick out of Texas A&M, leads all rookies with 10 receptions. Boston, taken 39th overall out of Washington, sits atop the rookie leaderboard in receiving yards with 154 and receiving touchdowns with 2.
Even with that start, the name that could raise Cleveland’s receiver room to another level is Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals - if Arizona is willing to entertain trade calls.
Harrison has taken heat for a range of issues lately, including questions about effort, production, and body language. After more than two seasons in Arizona, he still hasn’t matched the expectations that came with being the No. 4 pick out of Ohio State in 2024. But he’s 24, still loaded with physical gifts, and still looks like the kind of player a team should at least explore if the price is right.
There’s also the simple reality of where he is right now. The Cardinals’ quarterback situation is a mess, and unlike Cleveland’s, it doesn’t appear close to changing.
Michael Wilson has already moved ahead of Harrison as the top receiver, and Arizona’s offseason addition of Kendrick Bourne pushed Harrison down the depth chart even further. Add in the fact that Trey McBride is the offense’s real No. 1 target, and Harrison is no longer operating in a spot that maximizes him.
The talent, though, hasn’t gone anywhere. Players don’t just forget how to play, and Harrison’s reputation as one of the best receiver prospects tied to the school most known for producing elite wideouts remains intact.
Garrett Wilson, who played with Harrison at Ohio State, described what he saw there: “Marv, as soon as he walked through the doors, was pretty crazy because he was just snagging on everyone and could do like 20 reps of 225 [lbs on bench press]. I was like, 'Damn, this man is NFL-built already.' And then all of a sudden he was running around tracking the ball well.”
Wilson also said Harrison’s edge goes beyond the athletic profile. In a 2024 interview with The New York Post, he called him “a grinder,” adding: “He’s always going to be the best player on the field, but in a rare case that he wasn’t, he would be grinding the whole day after to make sure that was never the case again. That’s my favorite thing about him.”
That kind of profile fits what Todd Monken says he wants from a receiver. When asked before this year’s draft what he looks for, the Browns head coach said: "It's real simple: big, fast, physical, ball skills, run after catch.” Harrison checks every one of those boxes.
Monken also has a track record that makes the idea more intriguing. His work has included Zay Flowers in Baltimore, George Pickens and Ladd McConkey at Georgia, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry in his first Cleveland stint, and Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Desean Jackson in Tampa Bay.
Christian Jones, Cleveland’s wide receivers coach, brings his own strong background, with stops working with Justin Jefferson in Minny, Malik Nabers in New York, and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. last year in Cleveland.
The dream scenario for the Browns would be to somehow come out of next year’s draft with their quarterback of the future and current Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith. That, though, sounds far-fetched.
Landing Harrison for a lower pick, adding him to a receiver group that already includes Concepcion and Boston, and then targeting a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft looks much more realistic. It would also make even more sense if Cleveland decides to move on from Jerry Jeudy.
Arizona may never make Harrison available, and nobody knows what the cost would be if it did. But if the Cardinals do put him on the market, the Browns should be in the conversation.
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