As is typically the case within the realm of Houston Texans fandom, it seems like we just can't have nice things for too long now can we? After a 22-point demolishing of the now 0-8 Los Angeles Chargers, one would think that the majority of the week would be spent either praising the offense's 44-point aerial barrage, Nick Caley's shift away from Jumbo personnel groupings (hopefully) or even the potential return of Houston's high-octane defense (again, hopefully). But no, that's not suitable for us folks down here.
Instead, apparently there's a growing contingent of national media (and maybe even certain fans) that have begun to reevaluate the "success" of Houston's trade for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., seeing as though he only had two catches for 20 yards in the Texans' 44-22 romp of the Chargers on Sunday. I'm sorry, but what?
National media still scrutinizing Marvin Harrison Jr. after blockbuster trade
"After four unproductive games with the Cardinals to start this season, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was traded to the Texans. After three games in Houston, Harrison remains unproductive," began Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith in an article posted Monday to NBCSports.com the day after Houston's win over Los Angeles.
On Harrison's tenure in Houston compared to his early-season start in Arizona this year, Smith articulated,
"Harrison had five catches for 85 yards and one touchdown with the Cardinals this season before he was traded, and he has six catches for 60 yards and one touchdown with the Texans since the trade."
On Harrison's impact in Sunday's game, Smith added,
"While Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was finding open receivers all over the field in Sunday’s win over the Chargers, Harrison was largely invisible." Smith said this in reaction to Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud racking up 384 passing yards, five touchdowns and a 125.5 passer rating all while hitting a total of nine different receivers without Harrison contributing a touchdown reception or more than two catches.
And finally—and arguably the crux of the matter—Smith mentioned how Harrison has yet to live up to the lofty expectations set by both following a Hall of Fame Father in Marvin Harrison Sr. and his premium draft selection spot,
"Two and a half seasons into his NFL career, Harrison has fallen far short of the hype that he had entering the NFL, as the son of a Hall of Fame wide receiver and the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft."
Then we have Athlon Sports NFL Analyst Andrew Hughes, who declared the Cardinals as "Trade Deadline Winners" as a result of acquiring that package of both a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for what he called a "miss" of a premium draft pick in Harrison Jr.
While it's understandable for many to look at Harrison Jr. and somewhat ponder his actual value compared to the magnitude of the early-career expectations placed upon his shoulders coming out of Ohio State, the sheer volume of people willing to completely abandon any and all confidence in Harrison being able to ascend from here is very hyperbolic and highly shortsighted. But sadly, that's the reality of how impatient today's sports climate is.
Fortunately for Harrison Jr., he still has voices in high places who would vouch for him being able to mount a substantial comeback in the eyes of NFL talent evaluators and spectators. For this, former Cardinals stalwart —and multi-time 1,000-yard wide receiver—Frank Sanders stepped up to the plate to defend his position mate in Harrison Jr.
Legendary Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Frank Sanders defends Marvin Harrison Jr.
In an exclusive interview given to RG.org Sports Reporter Kyle Odegard this week, the 1998 NFC leading receptions-getter (89 for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns) in Sanders made it a point to explain why Harrison's early-career growing pains is no reason to quit on the former Buckeye playmaker,
“We’ve seen it with countless first-round picks that struggle to put an imprint on the National Football League like they did in college. Sometimes that’s a process. The pressure is different. The professionalism side of it on and off the field is different. Some guys make that adjustment (quickly). People look at the pedigree, and just because his dad played great, he should already understand it.”
He finished his encouraging statement by acknowledging the golden opportunity in front of Harrison Jr. with the Texans,
“I have hope for him. I think he wants to be great in the National Football League. I think (the trade) was two things: an eye-opener and an opportunity. You can be cut and traded. That’s humbling. But the opportunity is, you’ve got a second chance with a good organization. Hopefully his expectations change, and his ability to perform on the field will change.”
In short, let's slow down on proclaiming Harrison Jr. to be a "bust" after not even three full years of NFL service time. Even a franchise legend in Sanders himself is advocating for onlookers to just be patient and allow Harrison the space and time to authentically grow into his respective lane of league productivity, instead of holding him to preconceived notions and/or the exploits of his father.
In the meantime, Harrison Jr. and the Texans' main priority is winning football games, and that's begins again this week as the team prepares to hopefully start another winning streak at the expense of quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns.
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