WR Harrison will make debut for Texans on Sunday in London, Ryans says

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  DJ Bien-AimeOct 14, 2026, 05:27 PM ET

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  DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets for the New York Daily News. He's a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show "Talkin' Texans."

HOUSTON -- Newly acquired Houston Texans wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. will play against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday.

It's a quick turnaround for Harrison as he just arrived in Houston (1-4) on Monday. The Texans sent 2027 second- and seventh-round picks to Arizona to acquire him, along with a 2027 sixth-round selection, after a disappointing start to his career with the Cardinals.

Harrison has just five catches on 13 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown this season. But he said Wednesday he views the new chapter as a "great" opportunity as he reunites with his college quarterback C.J. Stroud. They played together (2021-2022) at Ohio State, and both were All-Americans.

"I think the team as a whole it's a great situation for me," Harrison said. "Being with a quarterback that you have rapport with and had success with, in the past is always great too."

The former 2024 No.4 overall pick is entering Houston with an underwhelming career stat line of 1,578 yards, 13 touchdowns and 108 receptions in 33 games. When asked why he didn't produce in Arizona, he said he's "going to take accountability," but wanted to keep specific information confidential.

"I think it's just a combination of everything," Harrison said. "I don't think I can't pinpoint one thing. There's a lot of factors, and I think with any situation, you always want to take accountability for yourself ... I think those things I'll keep to myself, truthfully. What I learned in Arizona, I definitely learned a lot. But like I said, I'm really just looking forward.

Harrison passed the physical on Monday and practiced with Houston for the first time Wednesday. There will be an acclimation process for him where he'll learn the playbook, but Ryans said he isn't worried about the learning part, citing Harrison's work ethic.

"It isn't hard when the player is attentive and he's locked in on getting the details down," Ryans said. "Marvin's first night here, he was with our assistant wide receiver coach Tiquan [Underwood] and they were grinding. They were working late at night. They were in the playbook grinding, and that allowed him to get a day ahead. And now he was able to go out there today and just fit right in seamlessly."

Stroud was happy Houston included him in the discussion regarding acquiring Harrison. But now that he's a Texan, they'll have to fit him into the offense.

Harrison is joining a wideout room led by Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel. Stroud is humming through five weeks, ranking fifth in passing yards (1,402). The former college duo will lean on old experiences to rekindle chemistry which is why Stroud doesn't think the adjustment will take long.

"He's a really smart kid. I'm not worried about it," Stroud said. "At the end of day, it's football. You run some very similar routes, just different ways, and I'm very vocal on how I like things done. He knows that. We've had conversations. We'll continue to just get on the same page."