Arizona Cardinals

Expectations were sky-high for Marvin Harrison Jr. after the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft, but the wide receiver did not start his career in ideal fashion.

He finished with just one catch for four yards on three targets in a 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is looking to change that moving forward.

"Certainly he is on the forefront of our minds in terms of getting him the ball," Petzing said Tuesday, per Darren Urban of the team's official website. "I think (the Bills) did some things to take him away and certainly I could've called some plays to get him more involved early but I thought it was a good start. We have some work to do."

Tight end Trey McBride led the team with nine targets, while Greg Dortch spearheaded the efforts in both catches (six) and receiving yards (47).

One moment stood out involving Harrison, though, when the Cardinals had the ball in the final two minutes. Quarterback Kyler Murray appeared to miss the Ohio State product breaking free downfield on a play that could have been the go-ahead touchdown:

Had Murray seen him and made the throw, the narrative would likely be different surrounding Harrison and the Cardinals as a whole after just one game.

Arizona still has an opportunity to quickly turn things around with three straight home games against the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders after the season-opening loss.

If Harrison and Murray find their footing with more experience together and win some of those games, the Cardinals can still compete for a playoff spot.

Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft, finished with just one reception for four yards (on three targets) in his first-ever NFL game on Sunday during a 34-28 road loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Per ESPN Stats & Information (h/t ESPN's Josh Weinfuss), the last time a debut-making receiver taken in the top five had fewer receiving yards was in 1992, when Washington's Desmond Howard finished with zero. Howard, notably, was primarily used as a returner and only had four targets his entire rookie year.

On Sunday, Harrison was on the field for 54 snaps and ran 33 routes, per ESPN's Mike Clay. That somehow translated to only three targets, begging the question of why Harrison, who the B/R NFL Scouting Department (among others) called the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 draft class, wasn't involved much.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said, per Weinfuss, that the natural flow of the game led to Harrison not seeing a ton of action, adding: "There wasn't any not not trying to get them the ball."

Murray threw 31 times, with tight end Trey McBride (nine targets) and wideout Greg Dortch (eight targets) leading the way. No one else had more than four looks.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon also had this to say, per Theo Mackie of azcentralsports.

Ultimately, Harrison is too talented to get shut down every week, and the Cardinals have enough offensive firepower otherwise for the ex-Ohio State star to avoid some defensive attention and get his looks.

He'll have a chance to make a bigger box score impact on Sunday when Arizona hosts the Los Angeles Rams.

They dynamic kickoff has already resulted in a large majority of touchbacks. But it's also provided some memorable moments.

DeeJay Dallas provided the signature one, posting the first kick return touchdown in the history of the new kickoff format for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills:

It wasn't the only notable kickoff on the afternoon, however.

There was Velus Jones Jr. muffing the play and unintentionally booting the ball to the Tennessee Titans:

The Bears would get some retribution later in the game, however, as DeAndre Carter almost took one to the house:

The touchbacks obviously aren't a popular result of the new rule changes, which were put in place for two reasons—to encourage more returns and to mitigate the inherent injury risks of the new format.

The full changes are explained here:

The concern, of course, is that teams will simply settle for booting the ball out of the end zone rather than risk giving up a big return, even with the opponent getting the ball at the 30-yard line in such a scenario. That would essentially negate the reason for instituting the new rule in the first place, and was the general approach after the season opened with games on Thursday and Friday.

Thus, there has been a mixed reaction to the changes:

Sunday's games, at least, provided a few dynamic moments. Time will tell if the new rule makes the kickoff more exciting in the long term, but for now, the jury is still very much out.

The Arizona Cardinals may make some noise in the 2024 NFL season.

According to The Athletic's Jeff Howe, "Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's scheme has drawn rave reviews around the league, and there's widespread belief he'll draw head coaching interviews after the season. Rival executives are also impressed by general manager Monti Ossenfort's roster reconstruction in a very short amount of time. The Cardinals' ceiling may be limited by a brutally difficult division, but they're absolutely on the rise."

Much of the team's success will hinge on whether Kyler Murray can stay healthy and put together a big season. The dynamic but diminutive quarterback remains one of the most explosive players in football once he breaks the pocket, and he has solid playmakers around him in rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. and breakout tight end Trey McBride, among others.

Nobody expects the Cardinals to be a playoff team this season. But Murray, Harrison and McBride in particular may all be excellent fantasy additions this year.

Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr. has been added as a defendant to the lawsuit between his son, Arizona Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr., and Fanatics (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

Per Florio, Fanatics accused Harrison Sr. of attempting to create the impression that his son was signing a "Binding Term Sheet" when his own signature was on the document. The company is accusing the Harrisons of fraud by knowingly inducing Fanatics to commit to the agreement after the alleged intentional signature difference.

On May 18, Fanatics initially filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Harrison Jr. after he signed a $1 million deal with the company in 2023.

Fanatics claimed that the company made a non-exclusive agreement with Harrison in April 2023 before entering into "a fully binding and enforceable contract" in May 2023, per the lawsuit.

In an affidavit on July 26, Harrison Jr. said that the agreement was between his company, The Official Harrison Collection, and Fanatics instead of himself (via ESPN's Josh Weinfuss). In a separate affidavit, Harrison Sr. said that he signed the binding term sheet as an authorized representative.

"It is not an agreement between Fanatics and me," Harrison Jr. said in the filing, per Weinfuss. "I was never requested to, nor did I ever, sign any document that personally obligated me to do anything concerning the 'Binding Term Sheet.'"

"I never intended to be personally bound by the 'Binding Term Sheet' and I am not personally bound by it," he added.

Fanatics is now able to sue both members of the Harrison family and can extend the case beyond more limited breach-of-contract damages to the broader scope of recovery available in a tort case due to the signature (via Florio).

Harrison Jr. was selected by the Cardinals with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, while his father earned eight Pro Bowl nods throughout his 13-year career with the Indianapolis Colts.

Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson has suffered a calf injury that may land him on injured reserve, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who provided more information.

Robinson, a former Missouri star, was the No. 27 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The first-team All-SEC player had 111 tackles (21 for a loss) and 13.0 sacks during his collegiate career.

The injury stems from an ailment suffered during a Thursday practice.

If Robinson lands on the IR, then this is obviously a tough loss for multiple reasons.

For starters, the Cardinals have a very difficult start to the schedule against three talented offenses and reigning playoff teams in the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions. And then Week 4 features a date with rookie quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.

Losing Robinson is a big blow to the defensive line, which was going to have a tough matchup as is against those teams.

Then there's the fact that the rookie will unfortunately be starting his career on the IR. Obviously, it's hard enough for any first-year player to acclimate to the league, but now Robinson has to come back from injury before he makes his debut.

Thankfully, it's not a serious injury, and Robinson could be back sooner rather than later. But it's still a tough situation as the Cardinals get ready for their season opener on Sept. 8 against the Buffalo Bills.

The preseason hype for Arizona Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has been fairly quiet simply because his only appearance was for one drive, but the rookie phenom has shown more than enough in training camp and practices to impress his teammates.

Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting told reporters "the sky's the limit" for what Harrison can do in the NFL:

"I see what everybody else sees. Obviously, we all see it the same way, but he's just very talented. He can do so many different things for our team and we're gonna put him in situations and ask him to do a lot more for our team. He's a guy that can just make any play that's really given to him or thrown to him. Very athletic, very smart, very savvy, as well, with his route craft, and, just, the sky's the limit."

Harrison's only preseason appearance was in the opener against the New Orleans Saints. He played a total of three snaps and wasn't targeted.

Malik Nabers, who was the second receiver taken in the 2024 NFL draft, played 42 offensive snaps in the first two preseason games for the New York Giants.

Despite barely being on the field for any of the exhibition games, the Cardinals have made sure to post highlights of Harrison in practice looking like a potential difference-maker.

Harrison has taken one of the more unique approaches of any rookie coming into the NFL. He did no pre-draft workouts and skipped his media availability at the scouting combine.

None of it was that big of a deal because Harrison was already regarded as one of the top players in the class and wound up being selected No. 4 overall by the Cardinals.

Fantasy managers are also buying into Harrison making an immediate impact. He's currently the ninth receiver coming off the board with an average draft position of 17.2 in PPR leagues, per FantasyPros.

But the lack of on-field activity in preseason games has made it difficult to gauge where Harrison stacks up against other first-year players, particularly fellow receivers like Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr. and Xavier Worthy.

The hype will intensify as soon as Harrison steps on the field in Week 1 when the Cardinals take on the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. He figures to be the No. 1 option for Kyler Murray in a pass-catching unit that includes emerging young players Michael Wilson and Trey McBride.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones was suspended by the NFL for five games due to a violation of the league's personal conduct policy, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Jones' suspension stemmed from a misdemeanor domestic battery charge in November. The charge was dropped in March, although the NFL conducted its own investigation and returned a five-game suspension.

Jones signed a one-year contract worth up to $4.25 million with the Cardinals on May 10.

Jones was arrested and charged after an argument with the mother of his child allegedly resulted in an injury to her neck, according to an arrest and booking report (per ESPN's Michael DiRocco). In March, the Florida state attorney's office announced that it would not pursue the charges against Jones and the case was dropped.

The 2017 second-round pick spent the past two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars before he was released by the team on April 30. The Jaguars used the No. 23 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on former LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on April 25.

Jones recorded 34 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns in nine appearances in 2023. He also racked up a career-high 823 yards with Jacksonville during his 2022 campaign.

2023 third-round pick Michael Wilson and 26-year-old Greg Dortch should serve larger roles in the offense until Jones returns, and perhaps No. 1 receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will get a bigger target share.

Jones will be eligible to make his 2024 debut in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 13.

As Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon enters his second year working with star quarterback Kyler Murray, he's been impressed with what he's seen from the 27-year-old this summer.

Murray was forced to miss the first half of the 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL. The Cardinals went 1-8 without him and 3-5 in games he started. Gannon told Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio that things are trending in a positive direction now that Murray is fully healthy.

"I think from a mental and physical standpoint, right now where he's at, to even when he got back last year or even where he finished last year, I think he's leaps and bounds ahead," Gannon said (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). "What I know about the guy, my relationship with him when I got his job: His will to win is extremely high. And if you detail out and lay out for him what is needed from him to improve himself, the offense and the team, he is 1,000 percent willing to do that."

Gannon went on to add that he has developed a fondness for Murray and how he's embraced having a leadership role on the team as he enters his sixth year in the NFL.

"So, I love the guy, because he's done everything that I've asked of him and more," Gannon said. "He's been a phenomenal leader on and off the field – not just with the offense, but with the entire team."

Murray, Gannon and the Cardinals will look to improve on their 4-13 finish to last season when they open the 2024 campaign against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 8.