When the Arizona Cardinals first drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft, he was regarded as one of the best prospects at wide receiver in a generation. Now going into his third NFL season, Harrison has flashed that potential at times, but hasn’t done so with as much consistency as the Cardinals would like to see.
Now, Harrison is battling with Michael Wilson for the top wide receiver spot on the Cardinals offense this Training Camp. It isn’t going well for Harrison.
Harrison left one practice early following an injury scare. Luckily, that turned out to be a cramping issue. More concerningly for both Harrison and the Cardinals, there have been some drops, too. That includes one that circulated on social media, which led to some concern about how Harrison was developing.
Arizona Cardinals HC Addresses Marvin Harrison Jr’s Struggles
GettyArizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
After practice, Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur addressed the drops that Marvin Harrison Jr. struggled with. There, he would dismiss the idea that drops are an issue for Harrison in particular, even if he doesn’t like to see them.
“You don’t want to drop any balls ever in the history of time, no receiver, tight ends, running backs,” LaFleur said. “Unfortunately it happens once in a while. What I would say is I am happy about with Marv with the one drop you are alluding to is how he responded.”
So, now, LaFleur wants a simple mentality. Put it in the past and move on to the next thing.
“All you tell these guys is to do the next right thing,” LaFleur said. “We acknowledge and we move on.”
Long-term, Harrison should be okay. He’s still talented, and some rust in Training Camp isn’t inherently going to lead to a bad season. On top of that, the Cardinals are strong at the skill positions. Across from him, Michael Wilson is a capable No. 1 or No. 2 on any team in the NFL. Trey McBride is then probably the best tight end in the NFL. So, there will be plenty of opportunities to go around in the passing game.
Harrison was Derailed by Injuries in 2025
GettyArizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
During his rookie season, Harrison looked like he was well on the way to becoming the wide receiver that the Cardinals wanted when they drafted him. He’d wrap up that 17-game season with 16 starts, making 62 receptions with 885 yards and 8 touchdowns.
It was a more difficult second season in the NFL for Harrison. He was only able to make 41 receptions for 608 yards and 4 touchdowns. Notably, he actually had a slightly higher yards per reception, going from 14.3 yards to 14.8 yards. He was slightly down in yards per game, by about 1.4 yards per game.
Of course, that was only in 12 games with 10 starts because Harrison had his season completely disrupted by injuries.
In Week 6, Harrison dealt with a concussion. Later, in November, he would miss another two games with an appendectomy. On top of that, Harrison suffered a heel injury and a foot injury before finally landing on injured reserve. Still, even when he was playing, he wasn’t completely healthy.
The hope is that with Harrison healthy going into 2026, he’ll be able to stay healthy. If he can do that, then he can improve more on the foundation he built for himself back in 2024.
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