Cardinals' Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr. connection might have a 54.4% problem

Billy Heyen

Cardinals' Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr. connection might have a 54.4% problem image

Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the NFL with immense hype. A second-generation star wide receiver, out of a stellar college program at Ohio State, he was supposed to be an immediate superstar for the Arizona Cardinals.

In the end, his rookie season was solid, if not spectacular. Harrison caught 62 passes for 885 yards and eight touchdowns.

But there's one stat, when revisited on the eve of year number two, that's concerning.

It has to do with Harrison's connection with his quarterback Kyler Murray.

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According to ESPN, Murray completed 54.4% of the passes he threw to Harrison in 2024.

That's just not good enough.

"Will Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. be on the same page in 2025? Last season, Murray completed 54.4% of his throws to Harrison, but there were noticeable miscommunications," ESPN's Josh Weinfuss writes. "All offseason, coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing have talked about how reps together will improve their continuity on the field and help that quarterback-receiver relationship. How goes the Murray-Harrison connection, so goes the offense."

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The shaky connection is part of why Harrison was so inconsistent as a rookie.

He had one game with no catches, one game with one catch and three games with two catches. He topped 100 yards twice, but on seven occasions was held under 40 yards.

Every rookie has some sort of adjustment period, and Harrison may be fully up to speed now. There may not be actual reason for concern here.

But Cardinals fans will breathe a lot easier if Murray and Harrison come out of the gates clicking on all cylinders.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle