Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. announced he’s ready to return from a heel injury that sidelined him for the past two games, stating his heel feels “good enough to go” ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium.
Speaking after Friday’s practice in Tempe, the rookie sensation said: “So, we’re going to see Sunday.”
Harrison aggravated his heel in Arizona’s Week 13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has missed the subsequent contests. The primary issue, he explained, was deceleration and changing directions: “I can kind of run straight, but changing directions and decelerating, that makes it tough having a heel issue.”
Sunday’s game will mark just Harrison’s second appearance since undergoing an emergency appendicitis procedure on November 11. He played through the Tampa Bay game post-surgery but couldn’t finish it due to the heel flare-up.
The 2024 No. 4 overall pick admitted uncertainty about his conditioning: “Yeah, we’re going to see… Whatever my role is come Sunday, I’m going to do my best to star in my role, help the team win, make the plays if they come to me.”
Head coach Jonathan Gannon remains optimistic, praising Harrison’s practice performance: “Thought he looked pretty good… Our staff has done a good job with him. He’s done a good job pushing through.” Gannon added the team has a snap-count plan in place for the explosive receiver.
Harrison revealed he’ll likely play through pain for the remainder of the season: “Probably.”
The injuries have been particularly frustrating for Harrison, who never missed a college game at Ohio State due to injury and played all 17 as a rookie in 2024. Combined with the Cardinals’ disappointing season, it’s taken a toll.
“It’s been tough. Definitely has been tough,” Harrison said. “The whole year has been tough, honestly… But you got to keep going one day at a time and stick to your process.”
Harrison’s potential return provides a major boost for Arizona (7-7) as they fight to stay alive in the NFC wild-card race against the Falcons (8-6) on Sunday, December 21, 2025 (1 p.m. ET, FOX).
