The Marvin Harrison Jr. chatter is the kind of thing Washington has to keep one eye on.
The Commanders already have a workable receiver group, with Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs at the top and third-round rookie Antonio Williams showing promise during his uneven transition. Dyami Brown, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey, and Treylon Burks are also in the mix. Still, if a player with Harrison’s ceiling suddenly becomes available, that’s not the sort of opportunity a front office ignores.
That’s why the league buzz matters. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported that teams are monitoring Harrison’s situation to see whether the Arizona Cardinals might eventually make him available in a trade. Around the league, some believe Arizona could be open to a high Day 3 pick just to move on from the issue.
That would be a stunning turn for a player who arrived with enormous expectations. Harrison was billed as a generational prospect out of Ohio State before the Cardinals made him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The production hasn’t matched the hype, and he’s now clearly sitting behind Trey McBride and Michael Wilson in target share.
There are reasons the first two seasons have gone sideways. Arizona’s quarterback situation has been unstable, and the source material also points to concentration issues that have slowed him down. Even so, the talent remains obvious, and a fresh start could matter a lot.
For Washington, the appeal is easy to see. McLaurin is aging, several other receivers are out of contract next year, and Harrison would represent a possible long-term swing at a bargain cost if the Cardinals really were willing to deal him for a high Day 3 pick. If it doesn’t pan out, the Commanders would not have spent much to find out.
Adam Peters has moved away from making trades this year, and Washington may have larger needs than wide receiver. But the upside here is hard to dismiss, especially with Jayden Daniels already in place. Pairing Daniels with Harrison is the kind of idea that jumps off the page.
Arizona would still have to decide whether it makes sense to give up on Harrison before his third season. The Cardinals have a strong young roster, and if they ever did listen seriously, they’d probably prefer to send him out of the conference.
Even then, Washington should be ready to pounce. Harrison just turned 24, and there’s still plenty of time for him to become the player many expected when he entered the league. If a move unlocks that version of him, someone could wind up with a massive steal.
In Other News...
Joe Smiths Maryland Legacy Just Took On New Meaning
Joe Smiths place in Maryland basketball history is already secure, but it is about to get another layer. The former Terrapins star and No. 1 pick in the 1995 NBA Draft will be inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 16, with the announcement coming during a Maryland Athletics Celebration in New York City. For a program that has long leaned on its tradition, Smith remains one of the most recognizable names tied to it.
What makes the honor resonate beyond the resume is how connected Smith still is to the school. He remains actively involved with Maryland basketball and has spoken with pride about what he meant to the program and what the program meant to him. The Hall of Fame call is a formal recognition of a career that already carried weight, but it also reflects a relationship that has never really faded. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Heads To Nebraska With One Problem It Has To Fix
Maryland heads to Nebraska trying to steady itself after the kind of loss that exposes more than one flaw at once. The Terrapins have spent the last week looking back at a disappointing outing against UCLA, and the issues are easy to spot: the quarterback play needs to settle down, the running game has to do more, and the defense is dealing with injuries that can make every drive feel heavier than it should.
Nebraska offers a tricky next step because the Cornhuskers have opened 4-0 and have the look of a team that can make opponents pay for mistakes. There is one wrinkle, though, as Nebraskas top running backs are doubtful for the matchup, which adds a little uncertainty to a game Maryland already needs to approach with urgency. For the Terps, the bigger question is whether they can fix enough of their own problems in time to keep this trip from turning into another long afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Faces A Bigger Question Than Nebraska This Week
Nebraskas trip to Michigan State was a reminder that the matchup ahead carries more than just another early-season data point. The Cornhuskers came out of East Lansing with a road win, Anthony Colandrea helped drive the offense with two touchdown passes and plenty of production on the ground, and a defense that generated six sacks and three turnovers made sure the result never tilted the other way. For Maryland, which now waits as the next test, the Nebraska result only sharpens the spotlight on where the Terrapins stand right now.
Maryland has talent back on the field and pieces that should keep the conversation about progress alive, but injuries and uneven play have made the bigger issue hard to ignore. The concern is not simply how the Terrapins match up with Nebraska this week, but whether the program is getting enough out of a roster that should be doing more. In that sense, the upcoming game is about more than one opponent on the schedule. It is another chance to see whether the issues around consistency and coaching can be papered over, or whether they are becoming the story in their own right. [Read more 🡒]