Cardinals' Harrison: Criticism over my lack of targets is 'silly'

The Arizona Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. came to the defense of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing amid criticism from fans regarding the receiver's lack of targets through two games.

Harrison was targeted five times and caught two passes for 27 yards in the Cardinals' 27-22 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

"That's a silly conversation, really," Harrison said Wednesday, according to the Arizona Republic's Theo Mackie. "We're 2-0."

The wideout added, "It's always frustrating when you may not get the impact that you probably want in the game, especially when you put in so much work. … But at the end of the day, you're very happy that we're 2-0, sitting in here, we got a victory."

Harrison, the 2024 No. 4 overall pick, entered his sophomore campaign as a projected breakout candidate after a modest rookie season. The Ohio State product caught 62 passes for 885 yards and five touchdowns a year ago. However, he was outshined by rookie classmates Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Brock Bowers, who each surpassed 1,100 receiving yards.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon admitted he would like to see more production from Harrison but said he wasn't concerned about his performance Sunday.

"He needs his touches for us to be effective overall as an offense," Gannon said Monday, per team reporter Darren Urban.

Harrison has received 11 targets resulting in seven receptions for 98 yards and one score through two games this season.

Arizona faces the San Francisco 49ers (2-0) on Sunday.