It’s never a good development when a team’s top-five pick ends his first game with as many yards as his draft slot.
Yet, that’s what happened for Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, finishing Week 1 with a stunning line of one catch for 4 yards on just three targets in a 34-28 loss to the Bills.
That’s an issue quarterback Kyler Murray seemingly is set on correcting for Week 2 when the Cardinals welcome the Rams in an NFC West battle of 0-1 teams.
“Obviously, we want to get him more touches, that’s not a secret,” Murray said Wednesday. “I don’t want to go forcing things, for sure.”
Of all the puzzling Week 1 stat lines, Harrison’s might have been the most surprising.
Pundits expected immediate greatness from the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, with some speculating he would already be a top NFL receiver even while playing last season for Ohio State.
One game — whether good or bad — doesn’t make or break a career, but Harrison having just one catch on three targets stood out in a sport where top NFL receivers are peppered with opportunities.
Cardinals tight end Trey McBride received nine targets, while fellow tight end Greg Dortch had eight. Murray said that the Bills attempted to avoid letting Harrison be single-covered during the game.
A viral clip emerged showing Harrison wide open for a potential game-winning touchdown that Murray did not see, but ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky explained that the screengrab made it seem worse than reality, indicating it would have been tough for Murray to find Harrison with how the play developed.
Harrison acknowledged frustration with his performance, saying it “wasn’t great,” according to ESPN.
“That’s why it kind of brought me here is to help the team, help the offense go,” Harrison said, per the outlet. “So, I have to do a better job of that going forward.
“I got to get open and catch the ball. That’s my job as a receiver. That is your job description. That’s what I got to do a better job.”
Murray caught some flak after Sunday’s loss for stating it’s “not my job” to just force-feed Harrison targets, saying he leaves that up to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
While the comment raised some eyebrows since the job should be to get your best players the ball, he seemingly chalked it up to a lack of experience playing alongside Harrison.
The two did not share the field during the preseason and Harrison only tallied three preseason snaps in total. Murray said that connection comes with time.
Harrison agreed that things will improve with the more reps he plays.
“Thinking a lot,” Harrison said, per ESPN. “I was definitely thinking a lot out there and I think that’ll come with reps, thinking less and just going out there and playing. It’ll definitely come with reps and it’s something I’ll get better at, but I definitely say I was thinking a lot out there.”
Murray finished Sunday’s loss 21 of 31 for just 162 yards, with no receiver reaching 50 yards.
The Cardinals brought in Harrison hoping to give Murray that alpha receiver he previously had in DeAndre Hopkins, and Murray is confident the pair will make it work.
“Nothing changes. We got the utmost confidence in what we’re capable of,” Murray said. “I’ll never lose confidence in Marv. His first game, we got to continue to get better and we will.”
