Marvin Harrison Jr. has gotten off to an extremely slow start, and the easy explanation circulating on social media is that he's lazy, isn't running his routes hard enough or simply hasn't developed into the star receiver Arizona expected.

S³ isn't buying that explanation.

Steve Smith Sr. went through the Cardinals' All-22 and exposed a major problem with that narrative. On several of the viral plays being used against Harrison, the football was already gone, the quarterback had scrambled away from his side, or Harrison wasn't a realistic option within the progression.

THE OFFENSE RUNS THROUGH TREY McBRIDE

Watch the first few seconds after the snap.

The quarterback's attention consistently gravitates toward Trey McBride. Smith reached essentially the same conclusion from the film: Arizona has one player consistently being selected when the football is thrown, and that's McBride.

That's important when evaluating Harrison.

If McBride is consistently the first read and the quarterback gets the football out without progressing elsewhere, Harrison can win his route and still never have a legitimate opportunity to make a play.

That doesn't automatically prove Jacoby Brissett has always been a one-read quarterback. But on the film Smith examined, Brissett is playing like one. His eyes frequently tell you where the football is going almost immediately.

MARVIN'S PROBLEM MAY BE CIRCUMSTANCE

Harrison's rookie season already provided evidence that he can produce as an NFL starting receiver.

The bigger question is whether Arizona can create the environment necessary for him to become a star.

There has been instability at quarterback. The Harrison-Kyler Murray combination never developed into the long-term partnership Arizona envisioned, and now Harrison is working with Brissett while adjusting to another offensive system.

Then there's the structure of the offense itself.

Smith's assessment was straightforward: Harrison's game translates to the NFL, but he questioned whether it translates to this Arizona Cardinals offense.

Later, the discussion becomes even more revealing: this offense has been functioning as one where one player eats, and right now that player is McBride.

S³ VERDICT

Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn't need to prove that he belongs in the NFL.

He needs opportunities.

There are certainly parts of his game that can improve, and Harrison isn't above criticism. But judging his effort from isolated social-media clips while ignoring the quarterback's progression, play design and Arizona's obsession with getting the football to McBride misses what's actually happening.

Marvin Harrison Jr. can still become a star wide receiver.

The question isn't necessarily whether he needs to leave Arizona.

The question is whether Arizona is eventually going to give him the offense and quarterback situation that allows him to become one.