The 2025 NFL season was not kind to Marvin Harrison Jr. The Arizona Cardinals pass catcher battled injuries throughout the year, limiting his season to just 12 games, which has set up the 2026 campaign, his third in the NFL, to be what could be seen as a reintroduction as one of the most dangerous wideouts in the league.
So far, not so good.
Harrison has caught one pass and been targeted just four times through the Cardinals’ first two games of the season. Considering Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett has thrown the football 65 times in those two games, and just one of those 65 has been hauled in by the player who many believed would be the face of the franchise, is alarming.
Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Arizona Cardinals walks off the field after his teams 7-31 loss against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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While the numbers, or lack thereof in this case, speak for themselves, Harrison’s demeanor and energy levels have also been noticeable over two weeks, and not in a good way.
When a wide receiver garners attention while not actually catching the football and making plays, it is not a good thing.
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The Cardinals, who haven’t won a playoff game in over a decade, by no means entered the season as contenders playing in a loaded NFC West, but that doesn’t provide a built-in excuse for Harrison to be a complete non-factor.
Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers during an NFL football game at SoFi Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Arizona will play 15 more games before the season is all said and done, and Harrison could find his stride and turn into a bright spot on what will likely be a bad football team when it’s all said and done, but so far there aren’t signs of that happening.
Harrison led the Cardinals in touchdown receptions with eight as a rookie in 2024 and finished second in total targets with 116. In 2026, while the Cardinals have played just two games, he’s on pace for zero touchdown grabs and 34 targets.
Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Arizona Cardinals lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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Very few would have ever predicted this sort of struggle from Harrison after back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons at Ohio State before being drafted fourth overall by Arizona just two years ago.
Less than three years ago, Harrison finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, and now he doesn’t even look like the same player in year three of his NFL career.
