The Arizona Cardinals, after an electric start to the season, have quickly fallen off in the standings. A brutal losing streak has all but put them out of the playoff picture, with Kyler Murray being put on the injured reserve list to make matters that much worse for them.
Even though Jacoby Brissett has more than held his own, the situation could get worse for the Cardinals this week. Facing a divisional opponent in the San Francisco 49ers, who are getting Brock Purdy back, the team will be short-handed, with Marvin Harrison Jr. declared out for the game.
Why Is Marvin Harrison Jr. Not Playing Against the 49ers?
Taken as the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrison has had a solid start to his career. But, he hasn’t shown the immediate superstar potential that other names in his class, like Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, and Brock Bowers, have.
Instead, he tallied 885 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie before showing signs of improvement in his sophomore campaign. Through nine games this year, he had 525 receiving yards and four touchdowns to his credit.
Ranked 46th on PFSN’s WR Impact, it is a marked improvement over his 62nd-ranked finish last season. However, after suiting up in every game last year, this season isn’t going in that direction.
As Cardinals beat writer Theo Mackie confirmed on X, “Marvin Harrison Jr. had surgery for appendicitis and will miss Sunday’s game, Gannon said.” However, there has been no clarification of when he will return to the lineup.
It could depend on how well he recovers from the surgery, but the possibility remains that the team will be without him for the next few weeks. With Zay Jones and Simi Fehoko also set to miss time, the former put on IR with an Achilles injury, the wide receiver depth for Arizona is suspect at best.
The timing of the blow to Harrison is further worsened, as it seemed like the second-generation star was finally turning a corner with the team. After dropped passes became a major problem for him, he seemed to have found his footing once again.
Now, the franchise has to hope that a potentially extended absence from the field doesn’t bring those same problems back to the forefront. With just three wins on the season, the possibility of a playoff push is close to zero.
However, the season could become a launching pad for Harrison into superstardom if he can return from the injury fully healed.