CJ Stroud addresses negative perception of Marvin Harrison Jr.

The Houston Texans have a new downfield weapon for CJ Stroud, and it’s someone very familiar to the quarterback.

Houston acquired Stroud’s former college teammate and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals via a recent trade. Harrison and a sixth-round pick in 2027 were sent by the Cards to Houston in exchange for a 2027 second-rounder and a 2027 seventh-rounder.

Stroud and Harrison spent time together in college with the Ohio State Buckeyes, and they will now look to build on that chemistry, this time in the pros.

But Stroud is also not going to allow the negative perception people have of Harrison during the wideout’s time with the Cardinals to affect him.

“It doesn’t matter what people say. He’s a heckuva player,” Stroud said of Harrison, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. 

“I don’t agree with some of the things people are saying about him. They can have their opinions. It doesn’t really affect you unless you let it. He’ll be fine. He’s a confident dude. He’ll be fine.”

Harrison was once considered a future superstar NFL wide receiver after the Cardinals selected him fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But he didn’t quite realize his potential in Arizona, as his production gradually dropped each season.

With a career reset in Houston, Harrison will look to be a more consistent factor in his team’s passing attack.

Houston enters Week 6 with a 1-4 record and an average of 261.8 passing yards per game, sixth-best overall.