The Arizona Cardinals will take on a division foe shorthanded on offense this weekend after Marvin Harrison Jr. underwent surgery.
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The second-year receiver had appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix), so he had surgery on Monday night. This will keep him out of Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers and possibly longer. Head coach Jonathan Gannon only said "we'll see" when asked about the length of the absence.
"It's life in the NFL," Gannon said, per the official team website. "It's our job to put a plan together and get ready to go out and compete and win. That's the job."
The loss of Harrison is only the latest hit to the offense. Simi Fehoko suffered an arm injury against the Seattle Seahawks last weekend, and he landed on Injured Reserve. Zay Jones also headed to Injured Reserve after tearing his Achilles.
The Cardinals responded to the injuries by elevating Andre Baccellia from the practice squad. He joins Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, and Xavier Weaver in the receiving corps.
Harrison, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had a relatively quiet rookie season. He caught 62 of the 116 passes thrown his way for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 52.1 yards per game.
This season, he has increased his yards per game to 58.3 while catching 34 of the 62 passes thrown in his direction by Kyler Murray and then Jacoby Brissett. He has scored three touchdowns, including two in consecutive games before undergoing surgery. He has tallied 525 receiving yards.
Harrison is currently second on the team in all receiving categories. He trails tight end Trey McBride, who has 61 catches for 603 yards and six touchdowns. McBride's best game featured him tallying 127 receiving yards. Harrison has come close to the century mark twice — 96 yards against Dallas and 98 yards against Tennessee.
The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 3-6 record. The team is last in the NFC West behind the 7-2 Seahawks, 7-2 Rams, and 6-4 49ers.
