Cardinals Speak Out as Marvin Harrison Jr. Narrative Grows Louder

TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals hear the noise around Marvin Harrison Jr. loud and clear.

Harrison's gotten off to a forgettable start, to the tune of four targets and one reception, and the former No. 4 overall pick hasn't come close to reaching expectations in Mike LaFleur's offense.

Harrison's prior two seasons have been a roller coaster, to say the least. There's times where the player many saw at Ohio State — who carried generational tags entering the draft process — flashed for the Cardinals.

Other times, not so much.

Arizona just might be at a crossroads with Harrison, and figures such as LaFleur and starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett made remarks on the star wideout today ahead of practice:

What Cardinals Said On Marvin Harrison Jr.

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. — NFL Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Marv seems like Marv to me. I'm not going to sit here and act like I don't know the narrative going on. I mean, this is the league, and naturally stuff gets across my desk," said LaFleur.

"But in between those walls, Marv is Marv. He's attacking it every single day like he always does, just like his teammates do. I appreciate the way he goes about his business."

Many have pointed out Harrison's body language on the field, whether it be in terms of run-blocking or running routes. He's playing a significant amount of snaps while barely making a dent in the Cardinals' game plan.

"Is some of the noise justified? I don't think so, personally. I mean, we just signed Mike [Wilson] for 25 [million annually] and nobody said anything about him having two catches," Brissett told reporters.

"I think people place - you got to try to find somewhere to make something out of nothing. The only thing you can do is just go out there and just continue to get better, as a teammate of him and him as an individual. And I think that's what we're doing."

It's a long season, no doubt, though with such a limited sample size, there's genuine concern Harrison has fallen out of favor within the Cardinals' offense. Sure, there's names such as Trey McBride and Michael Wilson on the roster — though Harrison's lack of production has been eye-opening.

"We've had good conversations, and it's easy to say, 'oh, it's a long season' to other people, but to Marv, it don't feel like it's a long season," Brissett continued.

"It feels like it's day to day, week to week. I think him showing up to work — I saw him today, and he's on the JUGS [machine], and then [I was like] like, 'oh, so you still are with your process. The foundation that you're laying for yourself is not changing based on the external gratification or whatever the noise is from the outside.' And that's what you want to see."

Brissett also added:

"Obviously, the frustration of not getting the ball is probably [impacting him]. He's not just walking around here just smiling at me every day, like you know what I mean. I wouldn't even want that, to be honest with you. But when you talk about his work ethic and you talk about him showing up and being engaged in the meetings, and then going out on the field and giving 110% and being the Marv that we all know he is, that hasn't changed."

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