There's a new No. 2 weapon for theHouston Texans entering Week 6 and it's a name who already knows what to expect from Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Following Sunday's 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans, head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed that the Texans were trading for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. ahead of Week 6's matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
"Yes, the report is true," Ryans said. "We traded for Marvin Harrison Jr."
According to multiple reports, the Texans have agreed to trade a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Arizona in exchange for the former No. 4 overall pick and a 2027 seveth-round selection.
Part of the reason the Texans have been at the forefront of the conversation
is relationships. If Harrison were to be traded to the Texans, he would be reunited with his college quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who has been the one positive of the team's 0-4 start.
After a slow start to the past two seasons, conversations began brewing that Harrison could be traded entering 2026. Chatter became quiet after the season began, with Harrison remaining the second-best option at wide receiver.
In four games, Harrison has five catches on 12 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown, though he's the fifth-most targeted option for the Cardinals' offense. Tight end Trey McBride, wide receiver Michael Wilson, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and running back Jeremiyah Love all have more targets than Harrison and he's tied with the sixth-most receptions.
But Stroud and Harrison made magic at Ohio State in 2023. In two seasons, Harrison caught 88 passes from Stroud for over 1,400 yards and 17 touchdown receptions en route to the College Football Playoff. He became an X-factor and the go-to weapon for the future Texans star, en route to becoming an All-American in 2022 and 2023.
What do the experts make of the trade? Here's the grades from both sides.
ESPN
Texans: C+
Cardinals: A-
From Seth Walder: Minutes after the Texans completed their 26-3 blowout win over the Titans, news broke that the rumored trade of Harrison, who was inactive Sunday because of the expected move, would be completed. The Cardinals sent him to Houston for a second-rounder and a sixth-rounder in 2027.
Similar to a lot of trades for young players, there are two simple questions: How much of our opinion of Harrison should be shaped by the league's predraft opinion of him and how much should be based on what we've seen from him in the NFL so far?
Harrison was considered a premier wide receiver prospect and was the first non-quarterback off the board with the fourth pick in the 2024 draft. But his production has fallen well short of those expectations to date, with Harrison amassing 1,578 receiving yards over 33 career games.
The Texans will get Harrison for cheap for the rest of this season and next year, and they will have a fifth-year option on him for 2028. But this move is not worth it if Harrison remains the same player he has been with the Cardinals because second-round picks have real value. Receivers who average 1.5 yards per route run can be found quite easily. The Texans are betting that Harrison can reach the upside he showed at Ohio State, including a breakout season in 2022 when Stroud was his quarterback. Having already played two-plus NFL seasons, the chances of a breakout aren't great, but they exist.
I think this trade makes sense for Arizona. The Cardinals didn't have to trade Harrison yet, but he will be worth more to a contending team than he is to them. It's likely his trade value would sink if they waited until the offseason to deal him. And Michael Wilson already had established himself as Arizona's No. 1 receiver.
CBS Sports
Texans: C-
Cardinals: B+
From Garrett Podell: Houston also needed another wide receiver to make an impact outside of two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins, since once-exciting wide receiver Tank Dell's NFL career was sidetracked by a significant knee injury. Dell went down in Week 16 of the 2024 season with a dislocated kneecap, torn ACL, LCL, MCL, and meniscus damage, and he hasn't played a game since.
Bleacher Report
Texans: B+
Cardinals: B
From Kristopher Knox: "Harrison only spent one season as a full-time starter with Stroud at Ohio State, but the two had a fantastic connection that year—Harrison finished 2023 with 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Beyond that, the Texans have long lacked a reliable second target opposite Nico Collins.
"Now, betting on Harrison is very much a gamble, considering what he's put on film over the past two years. However, he's still a 24-year-old receiver with elite upside who can be on a rookie deal through 2028—if Houston exercises Harrison's fifth-year option.
"Given Harrison's history with Stroud, Houston's need at receiver, and the caliber of pass-catchers likely to be available at this point in the regular season, it's a very smart gamble by the Texans and general manager Nick Caserio."
The Athletic
Texans: B
Cardinals: A
From Jeff Howe: "Harrison has the talent, but his confidence took a hit with the Cardinals. If this is a classic change-of-scenery type of kickstart for Harrison, the Texans will have a steal. They’ll get bonus points for aiding Stroud’s development during a pivotal point in the final year of his rookie deal, and they might find it even sweeter if Harrison gives it to the Colts — his dad’s old team — twice a season.
But there are people around the league who are skeptical at this point that Harrison will ever live up to the enormous hype that he had entering the draft. If he doesn’t turn it around in Houston, this surprising trade will be easy to question.
Sports Illustrated
Texans: B-
Cardinals:
From Eva Geitheim:"Ultimately, the Texans needed receiver help, and they decided to proactively address that need by bringing in Harrison, who attracted interest from other teams before he was sent to Houston. The Texans lost second-year receiver Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL before the season, and while they tried to address the position by trading for Kayshon Boutte in August, that wasn’t enough to make up for the loss of Higgins, especially when Nico Collins missed two games with a hamstring injury. When Collins was off the field, the Texans’ offense simply wasn’t good enough. They do not have a strong running game or a good offensive line, but quarterback C.J. Stroud still has played well, especially when Collins has been healthy."If Harrison can’t step up and play better, the trade will be a bust and the loss of a good pick for Houston. The good news is Harrison is under contract through 2027, so while the Texans are looking to contend this year, this move can also benefit them next season."
USA Today
Texans: D
Cardinals: A-
From Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: "It's natural for teams to see a highly drafted player struggle in the early going and assume they can fix him. Yet everything about the track record for such projects suggests Houston's latest play is a clear act of hubris – and one highly unlikely to pan out.
"But the Texans essentially appear to be doubling down on their existing approach. Harrison is a far less effective version of what Jayden Higgins was prior to the receiver suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in August. He surely won't alter the outlook of a running game that remains completely inert, nor should he be expected to provide significant relief for Stroud amid an overall shortage of playmaking assistance.
"Above all, though, there's no justification to give up this kind of draft capital for Harrison off based off his performance in two-plus years. A resurgence for Houston isn't entirely unreasonable given how the schedule sets up and how much talent is still on the roster. But the whiff of desperation here is undeniable."
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Marvin Harrison Jr. trade: What do the experts grades Texans' move for WR?
