Should Colts bring ‘maybe now available’ Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. ‘home’?

· Yahoo Sports

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 12: Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Arizona Cardinals runs the ball after a catch against the Indianapolis Colts during the NFL 2025 game between Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, NFL execs are now wondering whether unexpectedly struggling Arizona Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. could be available ahead of the league’s November 10th trade deadline—which begs the question of whether the increasingly wide receiver needy Indianapolis Colts could be interested?

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Once considered a “can’t miss” generational wideout prospect as the former 4th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the 24-year-old is off to yet another underwhelming season production-wise in the desert, after becoming increasingly an afterthought in new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur’s new offense.

We know that ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Colts, like many other NFL teams, clearly coveted Harrison Jr., who of course, is the son of Colts legendary wideout, Super Bowl Champion, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr.—who’s the best wide receiver in their franchise’s all-time history and holds nearly every major all-time receiving record for Indianapolis.

With the 15th overall pick ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Colts general manager Chris Ballard publicly called Harrison Jr. “a very talented prospect,” but it also being “fantasy-land,” that Indianapolis would surrender the king’s ransom draft capital required to trade up all the way from #15 to within the Top 4 picks, where the former Ohio State 2x All-American wideout was ultimately selected.

For what it’s worth, there was some league buzz that the Colts did try to realistically trade up within the Top 10 later in that draft class for now Chicago Bears wideout Rome Odunze, who went 9th overall, just a few picks later. Instead, Indianapolis ended up with UCLA edge Laiatu Latu at 15th overall as the first defensive player chosen.

Limited to just 1 reception for 33 total receiving yards on 4 targets, and just targeted on 7% of his routes in 2 starts during 2026 for Arizona, it’s a question of whether Harrison Jr.‘s been properly utilized and featured right now by the Cardinals freshly installed LaFleur offense:

Furthermore, he’s tied for the fewest catchable targets (2) among all league wideouts with 60+ receiving snaps so far this season.

Some of that can be attributed to Harrison Jr. just not consistently getting open nearly enough in his newfound role, but some of it also can be chalked up to his limited starting quarterback play.

No disrespect to current Cardinals starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, but we’ve seen firsthand how he can limit his wide receivers’ production out there by being relatively risk adverse and not taking many calculated shots downfield. Their leading wideout isn’t even presumed WR1 Michael Wilson right now, it’s Kendrick Bourne with 10 receptions for 86 total receiving yards through two games in 2026.

Even dating back to 2019 when Brissett was a full-time starter for the Colts due to former franchise quarterback Andrew Luck’s abrupt offseason retirement, Pro Bowler T.Y. Hilton went from having 76 receptions, 1,270 receiving yards, and 6 touchdown receptions in 14 starts catching passes from Luck in 2018 to 45 receptions for 501 receiving yards and 5 touchdown receptions in 10 starts from Brissett a year later respectively. He was only 30-years-old too in that season when paired with Brissett, so it’s not like he was simply too long in the tooth.

Even with the Colts signing former New York Giants veteran wideout Darius Slayton earlier this week as an interim replacement for Pierce, the Colts could still use an upgrade with lead wideout Alec Pierce presumably out of action, with a reoccurring heel/ankle injury, to at least around misdseason. That’s around at least six weeks.

Why not take advantage of a potential ‘buy low’ opportunity on a still very talented young player, who’s a legacy with the franchise, and may just need a change of scenery to better find his footing? His upside is still immense.

Maybe not a first round pick anymore! But for a second round pick? Sign me up.

Yes, having now been miscast in the Cardinals offense to-date, Harrison Jr. is struggling with a lack of focus and effort to go along with his surprisingly quiet receiving production so far, but to me, that’s just an initial maturity issue and is coachable for a young wideout. Harrison Jr.‘s work ethic at Ohio State was actually lauded among his even more senior teammates, presumably the same one that he mirrored from his Hall of Fame dad who kept himself in pristine physical shape and conditioning (even as a habitual junk food eater), was a machine at pristine route-running, and played 13 prolific seasons in the NFL.

Recent commentary on the “Speakeasy Talkshow” podcast from former Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl wideout T.J. Houshmanzadeh on Harrison Jr were pretty telling. Houshmanzadeh believes Arizona’s struggling young wideout, who he personally knows off-the-field, is “checked out” from having not been properly deployed and utilized within the Cardinals offense, but still needs to play through it and “just ball out”:

There may not be a better possible assistant coaching mentor in the NFL than Colts Ring of Honor wideout and future Hall of Famer Reggie Wayne, who currently serves as the Colts wide receivers coach, and was the other half of the “1-2” receiving punch that was paired with Harrison Sr. on those juggernaut Indianapolis offenses, when they won a Super Bowl back in 2006 together, catching passes from franchise GOAT Peyton Manning.

Wayne has credited playing alongside Harrison Sr. for his early career development and growth by just copying Harrison Sr.’s off-the-field work ethic and football maturity. Perhaps, Wayne, who’s already been instrumental in helping to develop last year’s breakout wideout Alec Pierce, can pass along some of that football knowledge and “tough love” to the “chip off the old block of his pops,” Harrison Jr.. Why not take the chance?

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