The Las Vegas Raiders need a receiver, and Marvin Harrison Jr. is struggling with Arizona.
The Las Vegas Raiders need a wide receiver, and what they’re getting from their current group isn’t enough. Tre Tucker has had come moments so far as a deep threat, but Jaylen Nailor is off to a slow start (we’re being kind). Jack Bech broke his forearm early in last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints on the road.
There’s a possible answer here, and it will surprise you. According to Jonathon Jones of The Athletic, Marvin Harrison Jr. could be on the block, and he represents an interesting opportunity for a Raiders team that needs talent at the position.
Harrison has talent in abundance, but he hasn’t shown it much to date. This has raised the question of whether that’s about Harrison the player or the person, or a chaotic situation with the Arizona Cardinals in which the coaches and GMs exit and enter constantly through an endless series of revolving doors.
Harrison has just four catched so far this season for 73 yards, which is unfathomably low production for a first round pick. Per Jones, multiple sources around the league don’t see Harrison playing with the energy or effort of a No. 1 receiver.
One AFC executive who commented on Harrison said it’s about watching him play, not where was drafted. He described Harrison as “not fast, not physical and doesn’t do anything after the catch.”
Ouch. The counterweight to that take is that the combination of getting injured, not seeing the ball, having some drops and being in an unstable quarterback situation can weigh on younger players. The exec who offered that comment suggested that Harrison might be a classic “change of scene” player to become the best version of himself in the NFL.
So how does Klint Kubiak feel about him? We don’t know at the moment, and we don’t know how GM John Spytek feels about him, either. What we do know is that Kubiak wasn’t happy with his current set of receivers in the preseason, but he’s gone 3-0 since then, which may have changed the mindset in Vegas to at least some degree with the trade deadline fast approaching.
Arizona will try and hang onto Harrison for now, and they’ll also try to exact a king’s ransom if they try to move him. We don’t know if the Raiders would pay it, but it does make a lot of sense for Las Vegas to at least kick the tires on the young receiver.
