Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the 2026 NFL season hoping his third year with the Arizona Cardinals would finally produce the breakout expected when Arizona selected him fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Instead, Harrison has almost disappeared from the offense through the first two games.
As of September 21, 2026, Harrison has one reception for 33 yards and no touchdowns in two games. He has been targeted only four times, including just once during Arizona’s 31-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The numbers are alarming, but the reasons are more complicated than simply saying Harrison cannot get open. His slow start involves an extremely low target volume, Arizona’s offensive philosophy, competition for touches, inconsistent quarterback play and some mistakes by Harrison himself. His injury-filled 2025 season also provides important context, although the Cardinals have not identified a new injury as the cause of his 2026 production problems.
How Bad Has Marvin Harrison Jr. Been In 2026?
Through Arizona’s first two games of the 2026 season, Harrison has:
4 targets
1 reception
33 receiving yards
0 touchdowns
He caught one pass for 33 yards on three targets during Arizona’s 26-14 Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Against Seattle in Week 2, Harrison was targeted only once and finished with zero receptions and zero yards. [NFL][Arizona Sports]
The Week 2 disappearance was particularly notable because Arizona spent much of the second half trailing and still did not find ways to get Harrison involved.
What Are Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 2026 Game-By-Game Stats?
Four targets in two games is extremely low usage for a starting receiver who was selected fourth overall and was expected to become one of the focal points of Arizona’s passing attack.
Harrison saw only three targets in Week 1 while quarterback Jacoby Brissett distributed the football heavily elsewhere.
Trey McBride received 13 targets against the Chargers, Kendrick Bourne received eight and Michael Wilson received seven. Harrison received only three. [Arizona Sports]
The situation became even more extreme against Seattle, when Harrison received only one target.
No receiver can accumulate significant production without opportunities, and Harrison simply has not been receiving enough passes to generate the numbers normally associated with a No. 1 wide receiver.
Why Isn’t Mike LaFleur Designing More Targets For Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur has said he does not want Arizona’s offense to become obsessed with feeding one particular player a predetermined number of targets.
After Harrison received only three targets in Week 1, LaFleur said the distribution was largely a product of how the game unfolded and the coverages Arizona faced.
LaFleur’s philosophy is to attack what the defense provides rather than force the football to Harrison simply because he is a former top-five draft pick. [Arizona Sports]
That approach worked against the Chargers because Arizona won and several other receivers produced.
It became much harder to defend after the Seattle game because Arizona’s entire offense collapsed while Harrison remained almost completely uninvolved.
Is Trey McBride Taking Targets Away From Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Trey McBride has clearly become the centerpiece of Arizona’s passing attack.
McBride received 13 targets in the season opener and caught nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Against Seattle, he again led Arizona with eight receptions for 41 yards and scored the Cardinals’ only touchdown.
Harrison, meanwhile, received just four total targets across those two games. [Arizona Sports][Reuters]
Arizona also has Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love competing for touches.
LaFleur acknowledged before the season that there is only one football and that the Cardinals have multiple players capable of contributing. [Cardinals]
Is Marvin Harrison Jr. Having Trouble Getting Open?
The evidence does not support a simple explanation that Harrison is failing to create separation on every play.
After the Chargers game, Arizona Sports reported that film review showed several plays in which Harrison created separation and appeared open despite receiving only three targets.
His lone reception was also an impressive 33-yard catch down the sideline after he won a one-on-one matchup. [Arizona Sports]
That is important because Harrison’s statistical problems cannot be explained entirely by poor route running or an inability to beat defenders.
At least in Week 1, he was sometimes open without receiving the football.
Are Defenses Double-Teaming Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Harrison said after Week 1 that he expected the Chargers to devote extra attention to him based on how similar defensive schemes had treated him previously.
He explained that defenses frequently avoided leaving him in isolated press coverage and that when Arizona finally received a favorable one-on-one look, Brissett threw him the 33-yard completion.
Harrison said he understands that attracting defensive attention can help create opportunities for his teammates. [Arizona Sports]
Defensive attention therefore explains part of the low volume.
It does not completely explain why Arizona has managed only four targets for Harrison across two full games.
Has Marvin Harrison Jr. Been Dropping Passes?
Drops and consistency have been part of the discussion surrounding Harrison.
He dropped his first target against the Chargers, although the pass was thrown somewhat behind him. He later made the difficult 33-yard catch down the sideline. His third target sailed high and out of bounds. [Arizona Sports]
Harrison also drew attention during training camp when video of a wide-open drop circulated on social media.
LaFleur acknowledged the mistake but emphasized Harrison’s response: he came back on a subsequent rep and made another play rather than allowing the drop to affect the rest of practice. [Cardinals]
The drops are worth monitoring, but they are not the primary explanation for Harrison’s current stat line. He cannot catch passes that are not thrown to him, and his four total targets remain the larger issue.
How Much Is Jacoby Brissett Part Of The Problem?
Arizona’s quarterback play was a major problem against Seattle.
Brissett completed 17 of 28 passes for only 95 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the 31-7 loss.
The Cardinals finished with only 151 total yards and averaged 3.2 yards per offensive play. [Reuters]
Harrison was hardly the only Arizona receiver who struggled.
Michael Wilson caught two passes for 18 yards, while McBride’s eight receptions produced only 41 yards.
The entire passing offense was ineffective.
That makes it difficult to attribute Harrison’s Week 2 disappearance solely to Harrison.
How Bad Was Arizona’s Offense Against Seattle?
The Cardinals generated only 151 yards of offense.
Seattle controlled possession for more than 36 minutes, while Arizona had the football for less than 24 minutes.
Arizona’s second half was particularly ineffective. The Cardinals threw an interception early in the third quarter and struggled to sustain drives for the rest of the game.
Harrison’s zero-catch performance occurred inside an offense that failed almost across the board. [Arizona Sports][Reuters]
Why Did Harrison’s Seattle Game Look Even Worse?
The contrast on the other sideline was impossible to ignore.
Seattle receiver and former Ohio State teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns.
Harrison finished with zero receptions.
Smith-Njigba scored touchdowns of 82, seven and 12 yards as Seattle turned a 7-7 halftime game into a 31-7 blowout. [Reuters]
The comparison intensified criticism of Harrison because both receivers came from Ohio State and entered the NFL with high expectations, but one game does not by itself establish their long-term value.
Was Marvin Harrison Jr. Supposed To Break Out In 2026?
Yes.
The 2026 season was viewed as an important opportunity for Harrison to reset after a disappointing and injury-filled second season.
New head coach Mike LaFleur spent significant time working with Arizona’s receivers and planned to move Harrison around formations rather than use him exclusively as a traditional outside receiver.
LaFleur said Harrison could line up both inside and outside and compared some of the schematic possibilities to ways his previous offenses had moved receivers such as Davante Adams and Julio Jones. [Cardinals]
Training camp reports also described Harrison finding space downfield within LaFleur’s system, creating optimism that his third season might produce a major statistical jump. [Arizona Sports]
That makes the one-catch start especially surprising.
What Happened To Marvin Harrison Jr. In 2025?
Harrison’s second NFL season was disrupted by multiple health problems.
He dealt with a concussion, appendicitis, a heel injury and a foot injury.
Harrison played only 12 games and started 10.
He finished the season with:
41 receptions
608 receiving yards
4 touchdowns
That represented a decline from his rookie production. [Cardinals][NFL]
What Were Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Rookie Stats?
Harrison’s rookie season in 2024 was considerably more productive.
Harrison entered the offseason still working his way back from the foot problems that affected his 2025 season.
In June, he described returning completely to 100 percent as an ongoing process because foot injuries can take time to fully resolve, although he said the issue was not preventing him from practicing at full speed. [Cardinals]
Harrison participated through training camp and played in both of Arizona’s first two regular-season games.
Current reporting about his slow start has focused on targets, offensive execution and usage rather than identifying a new injury as the reason he has only one catch.
Has Michael Wilson Passed Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Michael Wilson’s development has added another layer to the discussion.
Wilson assumed a larger role when Harrison missed time in 2025 and entered 2026 as another significant piece of Arizona’s receiving corps.
The Cardinals have also added Kendrick Bourne, while McBride remains one of the NFL’s most productive receiving tight ends.
Arizona therefore does not operate an offense in which Harrison automatically receives an overwhelming percentage of the passing targets.
Before the season, Harrison himself talked about the number of weapons in the offense and how spreading defenses across McBride, Wilson, the running backs and other receivers could eventually benefit everyone. [Cardinals]
Is Marvin Harrison Jr. A Bust?
Two games into the 2026 season is too small a sample to determine Harrison’s long-term NFL trajectory.
He has also already demonstrated that he can produce at the professional level, recording 885 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie.
At the same time, his production through the beginning of his third season has not matched the expectations normally associated with the No. 4 overall pick.
Harrison has 104 receptions for 1,526 yards and 12 touchdowns through his first 31 NFL games. [NFL]
The larger question for Arizona is whether the current lack of involvement is a temporary product of the new offense and a two-game sample or evidence that the Cardinals still have not found a consistent way to maximize Harrison.
What Has Mike LaFleur Said About Harrison’s Low Target Total?
He said people should not read too much into the target numbers because Arizona’s passing distribution depends on coverages and game circumstances.
LaFleur also praised Harrison’s 33-yard reception and emphasized that the Cardinals will attempt to put all of their offensive players in favorable situations rather than force passes to a particular receiver. [Arizona Sports]
The Seattle loss creates a tougher question for the coaching staff because Harrison’s involvement decreased further even while the offense as a whole struggled badly.
What Has Marvin Harrison Jr. Said About Not Getting Targets?
Harrison did not publicly complain following his one-catch performance against the Chargers.
He said production can change from week to week and emphasized that the Cardinals won the game.
Harrison also acknowledged that drawing defensive attention can help create opportunities for teammates and said his responsibility is to perform his assignment regardless of how many passes come his way. [Arizona Sports]
What Does Marvin Harrison Jr. Need To Fix?
There is not one single problem.
Several things can improve simultaneously:
Arizona needs to create more opportunities. Four targets in two games leaves almost no chance for Harrison to become a major statistical contributor.
Harrison needs to capitalize on the opportunities he does receive. Drops become more damaging when targets are already scarce.
The passing offense needs to function better. Brissett throwing for only 95 yards against Seattle made meaningful production difficult for every Cardinals receiver.
LaFleur can use motion and alignment changes to create favorable matchups. The Cardinals discussed doing exactly that throughout the offseason.
Arizona must sustain drives. A team that runs only 47 offensive plays, as Arizona did against Seattle, creates fewer opportunities for everyone.
What Is The Biggest Problem With Marvin Harrison Jr. Right Now?
The most obvious current problem is usage rather than raw efficiency.
Harrison has received only four targets.
One of those became a 33-yard reception. One was dropped. Some of the others were not realistically catchable.
That is simply not enough volume to determine whether Harrison is capable of becoming the receiver Arizona expected when it drafted him.
The concern is that this is happening in Year 3 after two previous seasons in which Harrison’s production was already below the enormous expectations surrounding him.
Watch Marvin Harrison Jr. Discuss His 2026 Reset
Before the season, Harrison discussed his injury-filled 2025 campaign, his emphasis on staying healthy, adjusting to Mike LaFleur’s offense and his goal of becoming more consistent in 2026 during an official Cardinals press conference.
Other factors: Offensive scheme, defensive attention, competition for targets and inconsistent overall passing offense
Drops: Still an issue to monitor
Current injury identified as cause: No new injury has been publicly identified as the reason for his low production
2025 production: 41 catches, 608 yards, 4 TDs in 12 games
2024 production: 62 catches, 885 yards, 8 TDs
So What’s Wrong With Marvin Harrison Jr. In 2026?
There is no evidence of one simple explanation.
Harrison has made mistakes, including a dropped pass in Week 1, and his first two NFL seasons did not establish him as the dominant receiver many expected coming out of Ohio State.
But his 2026 statistics are also being driven by an extraordinarily small number of opportunities.
Arizona targeted him only three times against the Chargers and once against Seattle. The Cardinals’ entire offense then collapsed in Week 2, producing only 151 total yards while Brissett threw for 95.
At the same time, film from Week 1 showed Harrison getting open on plays when the football did not come his way, and his only reception was a difficult 33-yard catch down the sideline. [Arizona Sports]
That makes the central question less “Can Marvin Harrison Jr. play?” and more “Can the Cardinals consistently turn him into a major part of their offense?”
Two games are far too early to answer that question for the entire 2026 season. But after a rookie year that fell short of massive expectations and an injury-plagued second season, Harrison’s one-catch start to Year 3 has made the issue considerably more urgent. [NFL][Cardinals]
