Houston Texans Announce Trade for Star Receiver to Boost Offense

To say the Houston Texans’ offense has struggled through five games would be an understatement. While they managed to get their first win of the season to advance to 1-4 with Sunday’s convincing 26-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Houston’s offense could certainly use a boost. Sunday’s win marked the fourth week in a row that they finished with fewer than 100 rushing yards.

Yet, on the other hand, C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ passing offense have still been effective. Now, he’s getting another weapon to work with, and there’s a great reason to believe he could be an instant contributor in Houston.

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Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) celebrates a touchdown by wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 12, 2022.

Clearly feeling confident and happy after the team’s first win of the season, head coach DeMeco Ryans revealed that his front office has successfully executed a trade for Marvin Harrison Jr. with the Arizona Cardinals. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Texans are sending the Cardinals a 2027 second-round pick, plus a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for Harrison Jr. and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

The Cardinals had reportedly set an asking price of at least a second-round pick for the fourth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Texans felt comfortable enough to step to the plate. It likely helps that Stroud and Harrison Jr. already have a strong bond thanks to being teammates at Ohio State. That type of backing surely played a big role in Houston making this splashy move, despite being just 1-4 this season.

As a result, that second-round draft pick could end up being quite valuable for an Arizona team that’s early in the rebuilding process under head coach Mike LaFleur, yet still has Michael Wilson and Trey McBride.

Harrison Jr. is still just 24 years old, and while he fell out of favor in Arizona, he has a chance to rebound quickly in Houston. So far, his best season came as a rookie, when he recorded 62 receptions for 882 yards and eight touchdowns. Now he’ll look to improve upon those marks in Houston, but he’ll need to get to work, as Harrison Jr. has just five receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown so far.