How can Marvin Harrison Jr. bounce back from poor NFL debut?

TEMPE — Even the biggest Marvin Harrison Jr. doubters wouldn’t have expected the rookie’s stat line in his NFL debut against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Getting extra attention and limited looks throughout the 34-28 loss in Buffalo, Harrison recorded one reception for four yards to go along with an early drop on just three targets.

The rookie, who failed to create much separation in his debut, did the opposite of what he came to do as Arizona’s No. 4 overall pick this past April.

“It wasn’t great. I need to do a better job of helping the team win, helping the offense,” Harrison said Wednesday. “That’s why they brought me here is to help the team, help the offense go. I got to do a better job of that going forward.”

“I was thinking a lot. Definitely thinking a lot out there,” he added. “I think thinking less and just going out there and playing will definitely come with reps.”

But while Harrison’s debut was far from what he or anyone else surrounding the team envisioned, the sky isn’t falling for the young pass catcher or the Cardinals.

Both he and quarterback Kyler Murray know it’s a matter of time before they start clicking in live action, especially when it comes to trusting his new weapon deep down the field.

After all, this was the first time the duo had any sort of game reps together.

“Nothing changes. We have the utmost confidence in what we’re capable of,” Murray said Wednesday. “If you went back and watched the game, I think they were doing a good job of making sure that he wasn’t going to be singled up or not be singled up for the majority of the game. I’ll never lose confidence in Marv. It was his first game. We have to continue to get better and we will.”

“I think that comes with time and you’ve seen it with guys like I played with like (DeAndre Hopkins),” the signal caller added on forcing the issue. “He’s a guy that was one of those where it didn’t really matter who was over there. If you just give him a chance, he’s going to go up and get it. … It was my first game with Marv. We didn’t get a lot of reps in the preseason — we didn’t get any. We have to go out there and prove that we’re capable of that.”

More game reps with Murray and NFL experience overall — two things he could have gotten more of this preseason, though respects Gannon’s decision to sit the pair — can go a long way in making sure a performance like Week 1 remains an anomaly.

“It’s totally different.”

Marvin Harrison Jr. knows he and Kyler Murray will take time to develop a feel for each other during the regular season. pic.twitter.com/NsdyJ24jZ5

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 11, 2024

Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing can also lend a hand in helping generate mismatches by putting the wideout in motion, something that didn’t happen throughout Sunday’s loss.

“He’s one of our top players. He’s certainly on the forefront of our minds in terms of getting him the ball,” Petzing said Tuesday. “I think they did some good things to take him away and I certainly could have called some plays differently to get him a little bit more involved early. But I thought it was a good start and we certainly have some work to do ahead of Week 2.”

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