The 2022 Arizona Cardinals offseason was incredibly dramatic.
The team lost much of its depth when players like Chandler Jones and Christian Kirk walked in free agency. None of this was helped by the fact that legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had retired the year before.
Further panic set in when star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was already rehabbing his MCL, was found in violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. This netted him a six-game suspension during the 2022 season.
An in-season injury to star QB Kyler Murray would end any chance the Cardinals had of being competitive. This injury would eventually lead to the 2023 season. By this time, much of the Cardinals depth was gone and they were considered one of the worst teams in the NFL.
The Potential Is Very Much There
The good news was when Murray returned from injury late in the season, the Cardinals looked like a fun team that could hang with the competition. The even better news was that they drafted the best available wide receiver in the NFL draft: Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State University.
Son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., Harrison Jr. was incredible at Ohio State, racking up over 1,200 yards from scrimmage in back-to-back seasons. Because of this, he was considered a can’t-miss prospect and was taken fourth overall in the NFL draft.
Kyler Murray has a history of connecting with excellent receivers, so it seemed obvious that this QB-WR pairing in Arizona would be electric. Unfortunately, in the first game of the 2024 NFL Season, Harrison was barely targeted. He had just one catch for four yards with only three total targets. Even worse, tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Greg Dortch received nine and eight targets each.
The most egregious part of the whole game, however, was when Harrison was wide open in the end zone in the final minute with the Cardinals down by six. Murray didn’t even glance his way as Arizona went on to lose.
To be fair, the Bills were double-covering Harrison most of the game and the few targets Harrison did have weren’t encouraging.
After the game, both Harrison and Murray had much to say. Kyler stated it was “not [his] job” to give the ball to Harrison. This comment drew a lot of flak from the media, but even Harrison acknowledged it wasn’t his best showing. He stated, “I got to get open and catch the ball. That is my job as a receiver.”
One thing is clear: the Cardinals could have beaten the Bills if they got the ball to their young receiver. It remains to be seen if this Murray-Harrison partnership will be as exciting and dynamic as people once thought.
And the Cardinals won’t reach their full potential unless it does.
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