Murray and Harrison Jr. Sparkling Chemistry Takes Center Stage at Arizona Cardinals Minicamp

As last season wound to a close, Kyler Murray wanted onlookers to understand something about Marvin Harrison Jr.

The transition to the NFL, Murray repeatedly said, is not always easy, no matter where a player is drafted. For a while, even Murray didn’t understand everything Harrison was going through — and he has a locker just a few feet away from the young receiver at the Arizona Cardinals ’ facility in Tempe. So, Murray wondered, how would anyone at home have understood?

The reality, Murray relayed, was that the game was moving fast for Harrison early in the season. It all felt different than it did in college, when he went for 1200 yards and 14 touchdowns in consecutive seasons in turning himself into the fourth overall pick.

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So, it was notable last month when Harrison spoke of his progress in adapting to the mental processing speed required at the NFL level. Now, instead of simply running a route, he’s able to think about the larger picture. What’s the defense? Where am I going to catch the ball? Where can I attack after the catch?

“Just thinking about all those different concepts, I think that's the next step for me just being more comfortable playing the game,” Harrison said.

Throughout the Cardinals’ spring slate of team practices — which concludes with this week’s three-day mandatory minicamp — that development has been evident to Harrison’s quarterback. During sessions open to reporters, Harrison has also looked more advanced, regularly making leaping grabs in team drills and showing improved timing in individual work.

“He's at the point where he's definitely more comfortable,” Murray said. “And I can see it out there on the field. And I think that'll only allow him to play faster, be the guy that we all know he can be.”

How can Murray tell?

“He just moves faster,” Murray said. “It's not that one second (extra). It's a split second difference from thinking and making a play. You're thinking out there, you're cooked.”

Since the start of the Cardinals’ offseason activities two months ago, Harrison’s added muscle has garnered the bulk of media and fan attention. And Murray has noticed that, too. On June 10, he joked about a recent picture of Harrison’s arms that went semi-viral.

“I thought it was AI,” Murray said with a laugh.

But it’s the mental aspect of Harrison’s development that might make the biggest difference come September. Last season, Harrison often looked a step slow off the line of scrimmage, over-complicating his releases. He rarely found empty pockets in defenses. He and Murray had regular miscommunications, especially on fade routes. The ball would go one way, and the receiver would turn to the other.

The duo marginally improved in those areas throughout the season, but it never quite translated into statistical production. Harrison had 445 yards in his first eight healthy games and 440 in his final eight games. He last topped 100 yards on October 27.

To build their chemistry and improve on those totals, both Murray and Harrison stayed in Arizona after the season ended. The NFL restricts what players can do at the team facility in the offseason, so they spent much of the spring working out together at a local field, “throwing the ball around” and “just going to practice,” Murray said.

The pair could also benefit from schematic evolutions. The Cardinals have worked on developing how they operate off schedule, once plays break down. They’ve also added more motions and other window dressings to complicate the picture for opposing defenses.

“It gives you reads,” Murray said. “It gives you tells of what the defense is doing. Makes it tougher on them to pass things off, play leverages and all types of stuff. I think it just puts the offense at an advantage. Obviously, we know the play. They don't know the play. So they've gotta react. And that's where you want to be.”

Adding that next level to the playbook, Murray said, is possible only because of the maturation of weapons like Harrison, Michael Wilson and Trey McBride, as they progress deeper into their careers.

“All those younger guys are now veteran-type of guys in the system,” Murray said. “Even myself. So prove that we can handle it, go out there and execute.”

Ultimately, that last part — proving it — will be what matters.

It’s easy to feel confident in June. On June 10, Murray said that he feels like he’s hitting his prime. When asked what that could look like, he responded, “Ring,” before pausing and emphasizing an additional letter: “Ring-s.”

Turning that into reality will require progress that can’t be measured in spring, two months before pads go on. But the past few months, the Cardinals believe, have been the first step.

Cardinals get full participation at minicamp

The Cardinals were without a handful of veterans over the past two weeks, during voluntary organized team activities. But in their first practice of mandatory minicamp, they had full participation, avoiding the type of contract-related holdout drama that can surface this time of year.

On that front, first-round pick Walter Nolen signed his rookie deal on June 10. Their only draft pick who has not yet signed is second-round cornerback Will Johnson.

The monetary terms of rookie contracts are set by where a player is drafted, so delays in signing are typically caused by minor details, such as the wording of injury guarantees. Johnson, though, has been present at every Cardinals practice open to reporters.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr. showing better chemistry at Arizona Cardinals minicamp