Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. Has a Bigger Problem Than His Lack of Targets

Marvin Harrison Jr. is no stranger to dominating headlines.

The son of an NFL Hall of Fame receiver, Ohio State product and No. 4 overall pick certainly is used to the spotlight and the chatter that accompanies the life of a prominent football player.

However, the noise around Harrison since landing in Arizona has been a different tune — one of criticism and failed expectations. Harrison was expected to uplift the Cardinals' arrival from the moment he stepped foot in the desert.

Besides a few flashes of excellence, Harrison's short NFL career has been highlighted by drops, injuries — and now body language.

Harrison has commanded hefty defensive attention, something we wrote about previously, which alongside quick progressions and overall game-planning has led to just four targets and one catch across two games.

Harrison was supposed to blossom under new head coach Mike LaFleur. Through 120 minutes of football, he can't even get out of the dirt.

“It’s a long season — we’re two games in. 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 fifty-fifty," LaFleur said of Harrison on Monday.

Yet the Cardinals are ignoring the biggest red flag

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. — Arizona Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) looks back at quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) against the Seattle Seahawks during a game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Football is a team game, and success largely depends on everybody doing their jobs. Before diving into Harrison, we need to acknowledge things haven't exactly been black and white for the former first-round pick.

Harrison's only been targeted four times — which is tied for 159th among all NFL players through two weeks. To put that into perspective, that total is tied or behind 37 running backs alone. In a LaFleur offense that's supposed to set players up for success, we've seen practically every weapon but Harrison thrive thus far.

Brissett's been quick to throw the ball. His 2.62 seconds to throw ranks just outside the bottom five for quarterbacks while his average inteded air yards per attempt (4) in Week 2 was fourth-worst for passers (h/t Next Gen Stats). Brissett largely checked down throughout the day with his longest completion going for nine yards against Seattle.

The offensive line also hasn't done Arizona's offense any favors. While pass blocking metrics are in their favor, their run blocking has been abysmal with just 0.6 average yards gained before contact, which is bottom five in the NFL (h/t Sharp Football Analysis).

With a bit of hindsight, maybe it was tough to expect Harrison to dominate in an offense where, in an ideal world, the Cardinals would run the ball plenty and names such as Trey McBride and Michael Wilson would be ahead.

Harrison hasn't exactly been looked at often for opportunities within the offense, but it's his body language from running routes to blocking that has mostly been highlighted online.

really great blocking effort too, Marv pic.twitter.com/JOdJidAvms
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 22, 2026

LaFleur, speaking on behalf of Arizona's locker room, says he doesn't see it that way.

“I don’t see it that way. I think his running style is different than some other people’s — I would say that. If that’s people’s narrative on him, that’s fine but I know his teammates don’t feel that way," LaFleur said on Harrison's effort.

Months ago, LaFleur gave a passionate speech at the podium on the importance of receivers run-blocking.

"If you don't block, if you don't get sticky on DB's in this offense, you're just not going to be out there. Point-blank period," LaFleur said back at training camp.

The "no block, no rock" mantra has been well established within the Cardinals' building. It's admirable LaFleur isn't willing to throw one of his top players under the bus over the microphone, but everybody in the building watches film. What's seen away from the football is preached just as much as the glamor of catching passes.

How to Get Marvin Harrison Jr. Going Again

Harrison, when speaking with reporters last week, acknowledged sometimes not getting the ball is life in the NFL.

"I think that's just part of it," Harrison said. "... It's part of the game. Everyone's going to have their weeks and have their days."

It's impossible to speak on Harrison's mindset — we don't know what he's feeling, or thinking. From the outside, it does look like Harrison could use a boost of confidence. That's typically done by coaches placing an emphasis to target a player to get them involved in the game early.

However, it doesn't seem like LaFleur wants to sacrifice other areas just for the sake of getting Harrison the ball.

“It’s a great question because it’s like, ‘Well, just get some easy completions to get going,’ and that’s fine," LaFleur said.

"You also have Trey McBride who’s one of the best underneath guys in the world and there are only about 60 to 65 plays a game. You have to run the ball, and you have (WR) Kendrick (Bourne) who works underneath pretty well too so everyone kind of has their role right there.

"(It) Doesn’t mean that we won’t this week if we think that’s what’s best in terms of working him underneath but that’s not what we thought was best through the first two weeks.”

It appears we are gearing down a path where Harrison will have to legitimately earn targets. His case isn't black-and-white. There's no magic wand to wave to make his situation better, as numerous factors outside of his control are heavily impacting his standing within the offense.

With that established, it also doesn't feel as if Harrison's doing himself any favors when he's not getting the football.

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