During the 2024 NFL season, a young pass-catcher emerged as the favorite target of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, finishing the season with a team-high 1,146 yards and 111 receptions, which ranks second all-time in franchise history. To the surprise of many, this player was not rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who arrived in Arizona with the familial pedigree, the skillset and the hype of a franchise-altering player.
No, this player was Trey McBride, a third-year tight end who was a handful of big-bodied pass catchers to pace their respective teams in both receptions and receiving yards last year. But McBride’s reign as Kyler Murray’s most frequently looked upon weapon could be a short one, because Marvin Harrison’s time is coming.
And that’s an assessment based on Trey McBride’s words and not anyone else’s.
“He’s a stud. He’s young, he’s growing into his body still, and man, I’m excited to see him take the next level,” McBride told reporters on July 23, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “He’s a guy who can be a force to reckon with, and I’m excited to see him grow with Kyler [Murray] and to grow in this offense and to be a stud.”
Marvin Harrison Jr. Looks, and Feels, Like a Stud
Marvin Harrison Jr. ended his rookie year with 62 receptions, 885 yards and 8 touchdowns, which are respectable numbers for any first-year receiver. The problem is, Harrison wasn’t supposed to be just any first-year receiver.
‘Stud’ was the expectation that most analysts had for the former Ohio State Buckeye in year one. Very few anticipated that there would be much of a learning curve for the son of the former Indianapolis Colts Hall of Famer, but alas, Harrison did have his share of struggles during his rookie season.
This year, though, Harrison looks the part more than he did last year. The 22-year-old put on somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen pounds of muscle this offseason, and for as much of a challenge as it was to add the weight, Harrison believes it will benefit him on the field this season.
“I feel a little faster, more powerful, stronger, so I’m ready to showcase it,” Harrison said after Arizona’s first day of training camp. But just as valuable as the gains Harrison made in the weight room, there’s also a shift in mentality that has the Cards wideout feeling better than ever heading into his second NFL season.
Even though many of Harrison’s counterparts — such as Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey and Malik Nabers — outperformed him in their respective rookie seasons last year, he is no longer focused on what everyone else is doing.
“I’m not going to lie and say I don’t pay attention to it,” Harrison said. “You’ve got to run your own race, though. Everyone is in different situations. Everyone has different journeys. You have to focus on yourself.” As a result, Harrison is in a better headspace, acknowledging that he’s “not as nervous” as he was last year.
Now Isn’t The Time To Sleep on Trey McBride
Just because the Marvin Harrison Jr. hype train is full-steam ahead, it doesn’t mean now is the time to sell your Trey McBride stock. McBride, who was one of just ten players last season with at least 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards, is only 25 years old and could be entering the prime of his career. And it appears as if the rest of the NFL recognizes that.
The Arizona Cardinals recognize it too. Earlier this offseason, McBride was rewarded with a four-year, $76 million contract extension that will keep him in the desert through the 2029 season.
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