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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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With longtime franchise quarterback Kyler Murray now in Minnesota, Jeremiyah Love may have to carry the entire Arizona Cardinals offense on his back in 2026.
He was selected third overall in this year's draft and is already being viewed as a potential generational back.
But if Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn't finally look like a true WR1, the Cardinals have a real problem on their hands.
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Harrison came into the league with about as much hype as any wide receiver prospect in recent memory. The son of a Hall of Famer, he dominated at Ohio State in a receiver room that featured Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka, and Carnell Tate, two of whom already look like stars at the NFL level, and the third hasn't played a game yet.
Arizona selected Harrison fourth overall in 2024, the first non-quarterback off the board that year, ahead of names like Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, and Brian Thomas Jr., who have all arguably looked much better.
His rookie season saw him finish with 885 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 62 catches in 17 games — not horrible, but not what you expect from a top-five pick. But last season was even worse. He went for just 608 yards and four touchdowns on 41 catches across 12 games, a season interrupted by a concussion, appendicitis, and finally a heel injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Even before the injuries, though, Harrison was already behind both tight end Trey McBride and former third-round pick Michael Wilson in the team's pecking order.
2026 has to be the season where he breaks out.
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Arizona is running it back with essentially the same receiving corps as last year, and quarterback Jacoby Brissett, the presumed starter, may not be flashy but he's proven to be a steady, dependable veteran who can lead an effective offense.
There's a new coaching staff, too, under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur, who found success as an offensive coordinator with the Rams, helping turn Puka Nacua into one of the best receivers in football. LaFleur has already named Harrison the team's X-receiver, a clear sign of how they view him.
If Harrison breaks out in year three, the Cardinals suddenly have one of the more dangerous offenses in the NFC for years to come, with Love, Harrison, and McBride forming a genuinely deadly trio. If he doesn't, though, he enters 2027 on the final year of his rookie contract with real questions as to how much longer he'll even be in Arizona.
The infrastructure and opportunity are both there for Harrison. Now it's time to live up to the hype.
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