Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur speaks to the media at the 2026 NFL Combine.
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Mike LaFleur spoke about where former first-rounder Marvin Harrison Jr. will fit in his offense.
New Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur has one mission in 2026, unlock Marvin Harrison Jr. on offense. LaFleur will call the plays on game day, so the onus is on him to make the former first-rounder reach his ceiling as an elite receiving threat.
“We’re going to put him in the position to be successful,” LaFleur told PHNX Sports.
As the offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams, LaFleur helped with establishing Puka Nacua as one of the NFL’s premier receiving threats. He’ll be tasked to do the same with Harrison, who will be entering a critical third season.
Injuries limited Harrison to just 10 games in 2025, which impacted his production in his second season. His yards per game decreased from 52.1 in his rookie season to 50.7 in Year 2. To justify the No. 4 overall selection, the Cardinals need a stronger per game impact from Harrison.
It will also help if Harrison can stay healthy for the bulk of the 2026 season. That will allow him to grow under LaFleur’s new offensive system.
Where Marvin Harrison Jr. Fits the Cardinals Offense
The Cardinals’ offense had two players step up in the receiver room in 2025. Michael Wilson recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving season and Trey McBride set the single-season receiving record for a tight end. Along with Harrison, those three receivers will get the most opportunities in the passing game.
“I think foundationally, what has been really neat about the systems that I’ve been in, the system that we’ll run is ‘Who is the slot, who is the X receiver?'” said LaFleur. “They’re all interchangeable. You try to maximize however many plays, let’s call it 65 to 70 plays a game. You try to make sure all 65 to 70 matter, and those guys are in the right position at the right time.”
McBride likely will feature as the primary weapon over the middle of the field. Wilson will be featured on the outside as a possession and red zone target, similar to Davante Adams. Harrison could play a similar role to Nacua, if LaFleur moves him around the formation to generate more favorable matchups.
“We’ll move them around, just like we do all those guys. [We’ll] have a better idea of that once we get going into May and then obviously through training camp to see where it’s all going to fit.”
PHNX Cardinals
“We’re going to put ‘em in the position to be successful.”
Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur on how he plans to deploy WR Marvin Harrison Jr. in his offense.
What the Cardinals will do at OTAs in May could be the first sign of how LaFleur tries to set up his receivers.
How the Cardinals Will Coach the Passing Game
The Cardinals retained their passing game coordinator, Connor Senger. Senger drew interest in the Seattle Seahawks’ vacant offensive coordinator role, but stayed in Arizona. They also retained offensive line coaches Justin Frye and Chris Cook.
Tony Sorrentino, who served as the assistant wide receivers coach with the Minnesota Vikings, was hired to coach the receivers in Arizona. He worked with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Jordan Addison in four seasons with Minnesota.
But perhaps the most important assistant role is the quarterbacks coach. The Cardinals hired two-time Pro Bowler Matt Schaub for the role. LaFleur spoke highly of his new quarterbacks coach at his NFL Combine presser.
“I never directly coached Schaub,” LaFleur told PHNX Sports’ Bo Brack. “I was on the Atlanta Falcons staff, and I was with the receivers when he came in in 2016.”
Schaub was the backup to Matt Ryan, who won the NFL MVP that year. While the Falcons came up a bit short of a title, that year still had a big impact on LaFleur.
“He played a big part in the success Matt Ryan had. It’s crazy to maybe say that, but they’re side conversations. How they would take what Kyle [Shanahan] and my brother were asking them to do schematically and then put it in quarterback terms. Always kind of knew from that time, and saw the experiences before that when Kyle had with him in Houston.
“I know Kyle has always tried to get him, to get him to be a coach there. It just didn’t time up there, didn’t time up in Green Bay, but luckily it timed up for us. I actually got the call from my brother that Matt Schaub wanted to end up coaching, and it was like ‘Wow, I just hit the jackpot’ in that room.”
Bo Brack
“I just hit the jackpot in that room.”
Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur has believed QB coach Matt Schaub will be a good coach @PHNX_Cardinals
Schaub will oversee a change at quarterback. The Cardinals will likely move on from Kyler Murray, but LaFleur believes the former Pro Bowler will be able to guide the next passer.