The Arizona Cardinals are in a rebuilding phase as they try to reestablish themselves as threats in the loaded NFC West under new head coach Mike LaFleur.
At this point, all indications are that the Cardinals are pretty far away from doing that. Arizona has a number of holes on defense and is without a franchise quarterback as it appears poised to roll with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. However, there are a number of franchise cornerstones that the Cardinals can rely on heading into this new era.
Lafleur and company are hoping that wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of those building blocks for the future, but he has had a bit of a rocky start to his career so far. However, the new head coach doesn't seem to be concerned about his star receiver, and even compared what his role will be like in the new offense to that of Davante Adams, via Theo Mackie of AZCentral.
“Mike LaFleur said Marv will play the Davante Adams role as the X receiver, with Michael Wilson ‘closer to the core' in the Puka Nacua role as the Z receiver,” Mackie reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Also sounds like Kendrick Bourne will see more work in the slot than he has in the past.”
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LaFleur was the offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams before coming to Arizona. He coached an offense that saw Adams and Nacua form arguably the best wide receiver duo in football, and he is certainly hoping that Harrison and Wilson can form a similar threat.
Harrison had very high expectations after being drafted in the top five in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he has had a relatively quiet first two seasons on some bad Cardinals teams. Despite that, he still has 103 catches for 1,493 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons.
With a new coach and some new ideas on offense, Harrison is an early breakout candidate heading into his third year. If he takes the leap to become a star, that would be a major selling point for whoever ends up being the franchise quarterback of the future in Arizona.
The Arizona Cardinals are in a rebuilding phase as they try to reestablish themselves as threats in the loaded NFC West under new head coach Mike LaFleur. At this point, all indications are that the Cardinals are pretty far away from doing that. Arizona has a number of holes on defense and is without a franchise quarterback as it appears poised to roll with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.