Cardinals Wanted to See Marvin Harrison Jr. vs Saints

Arizona Cardinals coaches - along with the fans - wanted to see Marvin Harrison Jr. touch the rock in his preseason debut.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals fans flocked to State Farm Stadium this weekend for the team's preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints in hopes of seeing rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. make a play or two.

Harrison's status was unknown entering this week after Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters Kyler Murray wouldn't play - at all - in the preseason.

Just prior to Saturday, Gannon confirmed Harrison would suit up - but wouldn't touch on how much action the No. 4 overall pick.

Harrison - who was the only starter to play - saw just three snaps of action on Arizona's first offensive drive with no targets before sitting the rest of the game.

There was a massive feeling of disappointment from fans in attendance and people who tuned in, though the Cardinals themselves wanted to see their top pick get some action.

When asked about what he hoped Harrison got out of last night despite no meaningful on-field opportunity, Gannon replied:

“His routine of what it looks like when he leaves the hotel, gets on the bus, gets here and warms up—all of that stuff. We ended up being backed up there, so there were some different plays because I wanted to see him touch it a little bit but he’s good to go. He’ll learn from today too.”

The Cardinals handed the ball off to Trey Benson for a one-yard gain on first down before Desmond Ridder was sacked on second down to set up a third and 15 on their own five-yard line - prompting a quick draw play to give the punting unit more room to work with.

Gannon told reporters previously during camp that starters' playing time would be on a case-by-case basis.

"I'm not going to get into all of it, but it's really is case-by-case, whether it be how old they are, health, if I want to see him play, if they're competing for roles, they're all competing for roles right now. How it relates to fourth down - there's a lot that goes into it," said Gannon.

The obvious question is: Why didn't they simply just play him more?

Realistically, most teams don't play their starters much in the preseason - let alone during the first game. Arizona had a plan and wanted to stick to it.

In Gannon's first season in charge, he utilized joint practices as a better learning tool for his top players as opposed to preseason games.

With Arizona holding two joint practices ahead of their road meeting with the Indianapolis Colts next week - on top of starters typically not playing much if at all under Gannon in the first week of preseason - Harrison was never going to get a plethora of plays this past weekend.

Still, it's disappointing for fans who won't see the Cardinals play again for over a month when the team holds their home opener in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams.