What Would Breakout Season Look Like for Cardinals Star WR?

The Arizona Cardinals have not had a wide receiver record a 1,000-yard season since DeAndre Hopkins did so to the tune of 1,407 yards back in 2020. But with a potential second-year leap in store for WR Marvin Harrison Jr., that streak could be broken in the 2025 season.

The Cardinals' passing game has been anything short of explosive in recent years, with the exception of star TE Trey McBride's dominance. McBride recorded over 1,100 yards in 2024, but there was a distinct lack of production from the WR group, even with a relatively solid year out of Harrison as a rookie.

Harrison's rookie campaign was certainly a good one. Though at times it looked rough, he still managed to record 885 yards and nine touchdowns - tied for the most scores by a rookie wideout this past season.

He only recorded 63 receptions, so his yards per reception ratio was an impressive 14.3. Don't confuse low yardage and some miscommunications with a poor overall season.

So assuming Harrison makes a jump in year two, and begins playing closer to the potential that's been so well documented and reinforced by teammates, just what could a successful year-two campaign look like for the legacy wideout?

The Prediction: 80 receptions, 1,050 yards, 7 TD

It's going to be difficult for Harrison to run back his exceptionally high touchdown rate, especially if McBride has more success in hauling in scores in 2025.

With a WR room that is still quite limited to Harrison, Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Zay Jones, it's hard to imagine anyone other than McBride truly competing with Harrison for production.

The fact that, in a "poor" rookie season, Harrison almost managed 900 yards, despite major inconsistencies in both QB Kyler Murray's performances and OC Drew Petzing's passing scheme is impressive.

He should be able to easily surpass that with some development, more consistency at QB, and a handful of adjustments to the overall offensive approach.

But the Cardinals' offense doesn't focus on WRs. Petzing wants to run the ball and get the ball to his tight ends. Can you blame him, when McBride and RB James Conner continue to dominate the league?

But getting Harrison some more beneficial route trees, allowing him to work in space and use his smoothness and agility rather than forcing jump-balls to a 22-year-old could offer a notable increase in success.

It feels extremely reasonable to expect a potential 1,000-yard season, but it likely won't go much farther than that with McBride and Conner eating up much of the offensive production.

Harrison should be afforded more opportunities on easier connections, and get more chances to move in space, but if he's limited to fades and comebacks like he was throughout 2024, he might fall short of the 1,000-yard mark again.

Still, it feels like a reasonable bet that he'll work his way into a more established position in Arizona's game plan. The Cardinals still need to add a speedy third receiver if they truly want a deep position group, but Harrison could see himself leading the charge alongside McBride in 2025.