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Cardinals likely to use Marvin Harrison Jr. in preseason games
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Cardinals likely to use Marvin Harrison Jr. in preseason games

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Often, football players (especially stars) talk about preseason like it’s a chore, an item to check off a list before they can get on with what really matters.

Not Marvin Harrison Jr.

“I look forward to playing,” Harrison said Thursday, speaking to reporters for the first time since training camp began last week. “I definitely want to play, go out there and compete, always.”

But he didn’t stop there. While his schedule at Ohio State featured early-season teams that were easy to beat, such as Toledo and Youngstown State, those games usually came after a big matchup in the first or second week. So, with his first preseason game approaching on Aug. 10, Harrison offered a suggestion.

“Honestly, I think there should probably be preseason games in college,” Harrison said. “I think people should take advantage of that a little bit more. In college, they only play 12 games, so two extra preseason games wouldn’t hurt. But I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to go out there and compete.”

Harrison should be lucky. The Cardinals have not yet announced who will play in the preseason (quarterback Kyler Murray is the biggest unknown), but it appears Harrison will see live action.

“I think he needs to go out and play,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said.

Harrison’s desire to play in the preseason has less to do with honing any specific aspect of his game, but more with his love of competition. Still, he said he believes the game replays in August “will definitely benefit me a lot at this level.”

While Harrison impressed in the early days of camp, showcasing his rapport with Murray at every practice, he acknowledged that the NFL level has provided a significant step up from what he saw in the Big Ten last fall.

“The players are a lot quicker to react and a little bit smarter than they are at the college level,” Harrison said. “I would say watching (Cardinals safety Budda Baker) fly around the field is a little bit different than what I’m used to, just how he goes out there and makes plays.”

At first glance, the speed of the game seems to indicate that a greater adjustment is required for positions like quarterback and safety. Those are the roles most associated with the mental side of football. However, the adjustment exists for receivers as well.

“You have to react a little quicker,” Harrison said. “Recognize coverages a little quicker, make sure you’re running the right route, getting to the right spot for the quarterback.”

So far, he feels like he’s where he needs to be in those areas, something he attributes to his offseason work with Murray. The two trained together extensively over the summer, both on the skill players’ trip to Los Angeles and in Arizona. During organized team activities, Murray worked with his receivers on weekends at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale.

“If you see there’s timing there, the biggest thing between the quarterback and the receiver is timing,” Harrison said. “He has to know my body language, know what I’m about to do before I do it. And I think you can definitely see that in these first few weeks of camp.”

From the beginning, this caught the attention of both teammates and coaches.

“You sit in those meetings,” Gannon said, “and he asks, ‘I know the playbook says this, is this how you think it should be run? Is that when you need my attention? How much time do I have at the top of the route?’ All those things.”

Tight end Trey McBride put it more simply, offering a contradiction that suits Harrison.

“It’s very humble,” McBride said. “Very unique.”

Center Hjalte Froholdt, ‘day to day’ after his leg injury

Two days ago, the Cardinals experienced the scariest moment of their training camp. As Harrison made an incredible catch in the end zone, a defender lunged at center Hjalte Froholdt’s left leg. After medics treated him on the ground, Froholdt walked off the field with a slight limp.

Meeting with reporters for the first time since the injury Thursday, Gannon said the Cardinals received “good news” about Froholdt, adding that he is “day to day.”

In Froholdt’s absence, the Cardinals moved left guard Evan Brown (a free-agent addition this offseason) to center, where he started for the Lions in 2021 and the Seahawks in 2023.

With Brown in the middle, left guard has been a rotating door. After Froholdt was injured Tuesday, third-round rookie Isaiah Adams played there. On Thursday, Elijah Wilkinson and Jon Gaines II rotated at the position. Gaines was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft but missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL he suffered in the preseason.

Other news and notes

  • Gannon said Thursday that “a couple of players had some cuts, bumps and bruises. None of them are serious.” Safety Budda Baker and cornerback Kei’Trel Clark were unable to practice but were able to walk around without any noticeable impairment.
  • The Cardinals have rotated their defensive line a lot in training camp, but Zaven Collins and BJ Ojulari have been their most-used defenders with the first-team defense. Dennis Gardeck, Victor Dimukeje and Xavier Thomas have primarily played with the second team, though they have also seen first-team work. LJ Collier and Darius Robinson have played on the outside, but most of their work has been on the inside.
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