Marvin Harrison Jr. Has Gone Viral for a Perceived Lack of Effort. Here’s What His Coach Had to Say

In the Cardinals’ 31–7 loss to the Seahawks last Sunday, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was a mere footnote on the box score.

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Through two games, Harrison has mustered just one reception for 33 yards on four targets. On Sunday, Harrison was targeted just one time and did not haul in a single reception. Since he was taken at No. 4 by the Cardinal in the 2024 draft, Harrison Jr. has had a slow start to his career, especially since he was billed out as the next great receiving prospect coming out of Ohio State. He has yet to record 1,000 yards through his first two seasons, mustering 604 yard and four touchdowns in 2025 as he missed time due to injury.

Not only has Harrison’s production come into question over his young career, but now his effort is too. Clips of Harrison’s route-running and blocking have become the subject of criticism due to a perceived lack of effort from the third-year wideout.

really great blocking effort too, Marv pic.twitter.com/JOdJidAvms

– Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 22, 2026

“I don’t see it that way,” Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said of plays where it appears Harrison is jogging or not putting in full effort. “I think his running style is different than some other people’s, I would say that. If that’s people’s narrative on him, that’s fine. I know his teammates don’t feel that way.”

While it could be easy to pin Harrison’s lack of success thus far on the Cardinals’ general woes or quarterback issues, other playmakers in Arizona’s offense have found success. Trey McBride was a first-team All-Pro last season and the best tight end in the league while Michael Wilson had a breakout 1,000-yard campaign and received an extension this offseason for his efforts.

Over his first two seasons, Harrison has also made headlines at times for his precise route-running and technique, most notably when he left a Cowboys defender in the dust on a touchdown last season. He has also notably appeared dejected in the past while dealing with drop issues and not playing up to his own standard.

Midway through last season, Harrison’s father, Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison Sr., expressed disdain for the Cardinals’ offense, telling ESPN that it’s very difficult for him to watch his son’s team on that side of the ball. The Cardinals have since changed their offensive coaching staff and scheme, but through two weeks, it has not resulted in an uptick in production for Harrison Jr.

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LaFleur said after Sunday’s game that he’s “not concerned” about Harrison’s lack of production so far. He added on Monday that Harrison was getting to the spots he was supposed to, they were simply unable to connect. For example, on the second play of the game this past Sunday, LaFleur noted that Harrison got open downfield, but protection was unable to hold up long enough for Jacoby Brissett to throw to him.

Though Harrison has yet to get into a rhythm, LaFleur won’t guarantee that he’ll scheme up some easy completions to get him going if that’s not what’s best for the offense.

“I know it’s just ‘get some easy completions and get going,'” LaFleur said. “You also have Trey McBride, who’s one of the best underneath guys in the world and there’s only about 60 to 65 plays a game. And you’ve got to run the ball. You’ve got Kendrick [Bourne], who works underneath pretty well, too. Everyone’s kind of got their role right there. Doesn’t mean we won’t this week if we think that’s what’s best, in terms of working him underneath, but that’s not what we thought was best the first two weeks.”

The concerns over Harrison likely won’t boil over until he strings together a big game or two. He will look to finally get going in Week 3, when the Cardinals take on the 49ers.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Marvin Harrison Jr. Has Gone Viral for a Perceived Lack of Effort. Here’s What His Coach Had to Say.

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This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 3:08 PM.