Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is trending up, and it’s not by surprise

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. hears the noise. He sees the chatter. He gets it.

Out of all the catches he makes, it’s always the drops that get the most attention. This training camp was no different, and a reason why he has a chip on his shoulder.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tyler Drake (@tdrake4sports)

After the inconsistencies he’s shown across his first two seasons, paired with Michael Wilson’s rise to WR1 status in Harrison’s absence last year, the third-year pro has once again been under the microscope.

This time around, though, he might have the right voice leading the offense in head coach Mike LaFleur.

A wide receivers coach at heart, LaFleur undoubtedly has a soft spot for the position. Upon Kendrick Bourne’s arrival to the desert, the wide receiver couldn’t stop talking about the impact the then-wide receivers coach LaFleur had on him as a young player in San Francisco.

And although LaFleur does his best to make his rounds to the different position groups at practice, it’s the extra back-and-forth or hand gesturing the correct way to run a certain route that tells you there’s an added interest into the pass-catching side of things.

Some players could see that as helicopter parenting, always hovering. Harrison, though, is embracing it.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tyler Drake (@tdrake4sports)

“It’s a wide receiver’s dream, right?” Harrison said Monday. “There’s obviously positives to it, but he’s definitely on you a lot more than maybe other position groups as well. I think definitely we need that and it’s been great having him around.”

Don’t forget about blocking, either.

“He’s not going to play about run blocking,” the wideout added. “He’s going to make sure everybody’s putting a hat on a hat in the run game. He expects a lot of us in the pass game as well, but he just expects a lot of us from on the field and off the field, being leaders of the offense and I think that’s what you want.”

It’s not just the added emphasis in the run game or LaFleur’s interest in the WRs room that could have Harrison reaching new NFL heights under the offensive mind.

LaFleur’s scheme is built for its playmakers to get the ball and create. Throughout camp, the wideout was finding space downfield with ease. It’s a perfect blend of the player doing his thing and the play caller doing his.

But it’s the little things LaFleur is asking of Harrison, such as improving his get off from the line of scrimmage, that could have a short- and long-term impact on Harrison’s stat line and confidence.

The drops were there early as seen on TV, X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc. but have since evaporated.

In their place (at least on social media), have been moments like Thursday’s touchdown in the first quarter.

Preseason or not, it was a great throw and catch for the score, highlighting Harrison’s headspace and his growing relationship with quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Remember, Harrison appeared in just seven games and saw 41 targets with Brissett at the helm given the wide receiver’s injury issues in 2025. Better than nothing, but plenty of room to grow.

Constant dialogue, throwing sessions before and after practice and simple repetition have the pair more in tune than ever, which should only help Harrison take that next step everyone is hoping for.

“I don’t know how many games I fully played that I was fully healthy to play with Jacoby, but I know what he can do and I think he knows what I can do as well. So, I’m excited,” Harrison said.

“He kind of really is that big brother, that figure for everybody in the room that we can all go to about anything on or off the field,” Harrison added about the QB. “He always has that communication with receivers, from the first guy to the last guy. The O-linemen, from first guy to the last guy. Anybody can go talk to him about anything.”

The head-coaching influence, the quarterback relationship and the added parts to Harrison’s game should help greatly in the wide receiver making that next big jump.

But it’s what Michael Wilson is seeing, and ultimately how Harrison is feeling that could be the final piece to the MHJ puzzle.

To put it simply, Harrison is having fun and his teammates are taking notice.

It’s the wide receiver’s smile through all the ups and downs that says it all for Wilson.

But for Harrison, it comes down to focusing on the process and not the outside noise that isn’t going away.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tyler Drake (@tdrake4sports)

“I know if I don’t make a play that someone thinks I should have made, they’re going to post it and it’s going to do what it’s going to do in the social media era and that’s okay,” Harrison said.

“For me, I’m going to worry about my process and what I do each and every single day to prepare myself at practice, prepare myself for games on Sunday. And what the results are going to be, the results are going to be. But I know Monday through Saturday, I’m going to do the best I can and make sure I’m putting the best foot forward.”

Related

Just how rare was Jeremiyah Love’s preseason workload? And is it really a big deal?What’s next for the Cardinals at right guard after Chase Bisontis’ injuryJeremiyah Love dealing with high ankle sprain, likely done for preseasonSay what now? Hjalte Froholdt’s 1-of-a-kind way to describe Cardinals’ QB playCardinals rookie OL Chase Bisontis done for season after being placed on IRWhen will Cardinals’ James Conner begin full team activities?