It's never a good development for a team's top-five pick to finish his first game with the same number of yards as his draft position.
But Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, finished Week 1 with an astounding one catch for four yards on just three targets in a 34-28 loss to the Bills.
That's an issue quarterback Kyler Murray appears to be looking to fix in Week 2 when the Cardinals host the Rams in an 0-1 NFC West matchup.
“Obviously, it's no secret that I want to give him more touches on the ball,” Murray said Wednesday. “Obviously, I don't want to force it.”
Of all the puzzling Week 1 performances, Harrison's might have been the most surprising.
Pundits expected the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison to make a big splash right away, with some even speculating he'd already be one of the NFL's top receivers while playing at Ohio State last season.
While one game's performance doesn't make or break a career, in a sport rife with opportunities for top NFL receivers, it was noticeable that Harrison only caught one of three passes.
Cardinals tight end Trey McBride caught nine passes and fellow tight end Greg Dortch caught eight. Murray said the Bills tried to avoid having Harrison in solo coverage throughout the game.
After a video went viral showing Murray not seeing Harrison wide open for the game-winning touchdown, ESPN's Dan Orlovsky explained that the screenshot made it look worse than it actually was, and that it would have been difficult for Murray to spot Harrison given how the play unfolded.
According to ESPN, Harrison acknowledged his dissatisfaction with his performance, saying it “wasn't great.”
“I'm here to help the team and help the offense,” Harrison said. For each outlet“So, I have to do better in the future.
“I've got to get open and catch the ball. That's my job as a receiver. That's your job description. That's why I've got to do it better.”
Murray drew criticism after Sunday's loss when he said it was “not my job” to force Harrison to target him, leaving that up to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
The comment raised some eyebrows as a manager's job is supposed to be to get the ball to his best player, but the manager likely blamed it on inexperience playing alongside Harrison.
The two didn't share the field together during the preseason – Harrison only played three total snaps during the season – and Murray said that connection comes with time.
Harrison agreed that things would get better with more playing time.
“I was thinking a lot,” Harrison told ESPN. “I was definitely thinking a lot during the game, but I think that comes with practice. You just go out there and play and don't think too much. I think that comes with practice and I'll get better, but I was definitely thinking a lot during the game.”
Murray completed 21 of 31 attempts for just 162 yards in Sunday's loss, with no receivers reaching 50 yards.
The Cardinals acquired Harrison in hopes of giving Murray a former go-to receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, and Murray is confident the two will work well together.
“Nothing's changing. We have the utmost confidence in our abilities,” Murray said. “I never lose faith in Marv. It's his first game, but we have to get better and we will.”
