Bruce Arians not just the 'cool uncle' to nephew Trevor Harman

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has said on multiple occasions he wants to be known as the "cool uncle" among his players, but for rookie Trevor Harman, that label comes naturally.

Harman, an undrafted wide receiver out of Division II Shippensburg University, is the grandson of Arians' brother, Dennis. That's not why the Cardinals signed him, though.

Harman set 17 school records during his four seasons at Shippensburg and ranks as the conference's all-time leader in receptions (321) and receiving touchdowns (61).

"I guess if college didn't go the way it did, then maybe me being here (Arizona) people would be like, 'Oh, what's going on?'" Harman told Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. "If I didn't play until my senior year or had just 30 catches in my career, then it might spark a little interest."

In the week Harman has spent with the Cardinals, Arians has treated him like any other rookie free agent.

"I cuss him out, just like I do everyone else," Arians said.

Harman's odds of making the final roster aren't great. The Cardinals brought back their top four receivers and drafted Alabama's J.J. Nelson in the fifth round. But he did make a good impression on several Cardinals players, including quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton, while training with them in December at the Fischer Institute in Phoenix.

"I asked those guys and they said they thought he could play," Arians said. "I felt very comfortable signing him."

Harman said he has long thought of Arians as the "cool uncle." When they're on the football field, though, Arians is known simply as "coach."

"The only time we talk is when he's yelling at me," Harman said.