What is the Timeline for Marvin Harrison Jr.'s Return After Surgery for Appendicitis?

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. underwent surgery this week to treat appendicitis, according to Darren Urban of the team's official website.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Harrison will miss Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers and could potentially be out even longer than that.

Harrison, who is the son of legendary Indianapolis Colts wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, is in the midst of his second NFL season after going fourth overall to the Cards in the 2024 NFL draft.

After starring collegiately at Ohio State, Harrison immediately established himself as the Cardinals' No. 1 wideout as a rookie, finishing with 62 receptions for 885 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns.

While Harrison hasn't necessarily developed into the dominant force the Cardinals were hoping for in Year 2, he has registered 34 catches for 525 yards and four touchdowns through nine games.

Harrison was on pace to match or exceed his rookie totals this season, although that may be in jeopardy now that he is set to miss at least one game.

Even with Harrison, the 3-6 Cardinals were light at wide receiver, and now they have almost no proven talent at the position.

Wideout Xavier Weaver missed last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks with an ankle injury, while both Zay Jones and Simi Fehoko got injured during the game.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters that Jones would miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles, and Fehoko would "miss some time" with an arm injury.

That leaves Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch as the only fully healthy wide receivers on Arizona's 53-man roster.

Behind tight end Trey McBride and Harrison, Wilson is third on the team this season in receptions (22), receiving yards (231) and receiving touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Dortch has recorded 15 catches for 73 yards and one score, while also rushing for 20 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Wilson, a 2023 third-round pick, has never finished with more than 565 receiving yards in a single season. Dortch is an undrafted player whose career-high in receiving is 467 yards.

Given the injuries at wideout, receivers Tejhaun Palmer, Andre Baccellia and Jalen Brooks are all candidates to get called up from the practice squad.

Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett will have a lack of proven NFL production at his disposal at the receiver position on Sunday, which could result in a high target number for McBride and running back Emari Demercado.

Click here to read article