Cardinals' Kyler Murray on Marvin Harrison Jr. Debut: 'Not My Job' to Force Targets

The Arizona Cardinals used the No. 4 pick of the 2024 draft to select wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and then gave the former Ohio State star just three targets in his NFL debut.

But Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said that it was not his job to force targets to Harrison while running offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's system during Sunday's 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"As a quarterback, obviously, you're going through your reads," Murray said, per Craig Morgan of PHNX. "Sometimes the ball goes to him, but that's not my job.

"I have a sense and a feel for guys when they don't get the ball and when they are getting the ball, but I leave that up to Drew. He tells me, 'Don't worry about that type of stuff. Just keep playing your game and get the ball to where the ball is supposed to go.'"

Harrison finished his NFL debut with one catch for four yards. Wideout Greg Dortch led the team with six catches, while Trey McBride received the most targets with nine.

Murray meanwhile connected on 21 of 31 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown.

The Cardinals closed out the second quarter on Sunday leading by seven points but were unable to recover from three Bills touchdowns in the second half.

Murray appeared to have Harrison open for a touchdown on the Cardinals' final drive of the game, but he went for a short throw to Dortch instead while under pressure. The Cardinals quarterback said after the loss that he did not see Harrison open on the play.

Petzing, who was hired by the Cardinals in 2023 after three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, told reporters after the loss that "the plan" will be to give Harrison more targets going forward.

"Certainly he is on the forefront of our minds in terms of getting him the ball," Petzing said, Darren Urban reported for the team's website. "I think (the Bills) did some things to take him away and certainly I could've called some plays to get him more involved early but I thought it was a good start. We have some work to do."

Harrison could look to capitalize on more targets from Murray when the Cardinals return to action on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.