By the time reporters entered the Arizona Cardinals locker room, Marvin Harrison Jr. was gone.
His cream-toned rivalry-edition helmet hung from one hook. A few pieces of his discarded uniform hung from another. His black shoes sat on the ground, a green energy drink on a shelf. This was all the evidence that Harrison had been there at all.
After all, what was there to say?
In a 31-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Harrison ran 31 routes and saw one target, by the official definition. Even that is generous. The pass was effectively a throwaway, spiked incomplete at Harrison’s feet.
And so, for the first time in the career of the 2024 No. 4 overall draft pick, he finished a healthy game with zero receptions.
That alone is concerning.
The context makes
it even worse.
Entering this season, Harrison had an opportunity in front of him, with a new coaching staff and a new starting quarterback. He had proven inconsistent across his first two seasons, averaging just 51.5 yards per game and topping 75 yards on just five occasions. But perhaps the issue was his rapport with Kyler Murray, or his usage in Drew Petzing’s scheme.
Then, in Week 1, Harrison finished with one catch on three targets. So after a silent Week 2, he has now run 68 routes this season, earned four targets and hauled in just one reception.
Over the past decade, 12 wide receivers have been selected inside the top 10 of the NFL draft. Analyzing the first three seasons for each, only three of those players have produced a two-game stretch with one reception or fewer: Mike Williams, John Ross and now Harrison.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Mike LaFleur played down Harrison’s slow start.
“I wouldn't look into too much of anything right now,” LaFleur said. “Because we didn't throw the ball for crap anyway. Schematically, it wasn't good.”
Similarly, quarterback Jacoby Brissett attributed Harrison’s struggles to Seattle’s defensive discipline.
“They stay in the structure of staying two-high,” Brissett said. “It's kind of hard to push the ball. It was hard to find completions today.”
Indeed, the Cardinals managed just 95 passing yards, their fewest in a game since a shutout loss to Cleveland in 2023. But Harrison was drafted to be the type of player who they could look to in difficult moments, to provide an outlet when no one else could.
Instead, the offense ran through everyone else. Trey McBride caught eight of his 10 targets. Michael Wilson caught just two of his seven, but he drew a pair of pass interference penalties to move the chains. Even Kendrick Bourne, Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier saw multiple targets.
Harrison, meanwhile, was rarely used. Even when Brissett did look Harrison’s way, it seemed as if a Seahawks cornerback was always glued to his hip.
It’s not just the statistical production. In his first two seasons, Harrison played 83% and 86% of offensive snaps, excluding games he exited due to injury. So far this season, his snap share has dipped to just 77%.
Against the Seahawks, Harrison was on the field for 74% of offensive plays, a number that was even lower before the Cardinals began playing catch-up late in the second half.
Targets can be fluky, but snap share is a coach’s decision, earned by what players show on the practice field.
“Some of it was being in 13 (personnel) big,” LaFleur said. “So you only end up having one receiver in there. We were in what we call 13 Z, and that's where Mike's our receiver in that. When we're in 13 X, which we had a couple snaps of that, Marv's our receiver in that.”
LaFleur was then asked whether he is concerned with Harrison’s performance through two games. He paused before answering.
“Not concerned, no,” LaFleur said. “I'm concerned with, obviously, our execution on offense today.”
This remains the public line when those inside the organization are asked about Harrison.
Earlier this week, wide receivers coach Tony Sorrentino pointed to Harrison’s intelligence and said he is “excited about him getting better and better every single day.”
In the postgame locker room, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. said Harrison has the same mentality he did at Ohio State, where the two were college teammates.
“He's one of the greatest receivers I've seen with my own two eyes,” Johnson said. “I believe anybody that doesn't see that, I don't think they know football.”
But as the defense of Harrison grows louder, the results grow quieter. Entering Monday Night Football, he ranks 142nd in the NFL in receiving yards.
And against the Seahawks, when the Cardinals needed someone to drag them out of an offensive quagmire, Harrison produced the worst statistical game of his career.
“It's frustrating for sure,” Brissett said. “I'm sure it's frustrating for him; it's also frustrating for me. But it's Week 2.”
It’s Week 2, indeed. Of Year 3.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Marvin Harrison Jr. quiet when Arizona Cardinals need him most
