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Harold Fannin Jr. was back in Cleveland on Tuesday, working out with quarterback Deshaun Watson at the Browns' practice facility.
Both of those players are on completely different trajectories. Watson is playing for his career while Fannin is looking to establish himself as one of the great tight ends in the entire NFL.
The question that we pose today is, how high is Fannin's ceiling, and if he reaches it, is that a good thing for the Cleveland Browns?
Fannin has the tools to be one of those game-changing type tight ends. What has made guys like Travis Kelce and George Kittle the best in the world at the position is that they refuse to be tackled, and they are actually very elusive.
Fannin has that type of build to his game where he simply refuses to be tackled when he has the football in his hands, and that is something that is both rare and cannot be taught. It is a natural ability, and Fannin Jr. has it.
In his rookie season, Fannin Jr. finished with 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns on the year. He made deep plays, he made plays at the line of scrimmage, he made plays in the intermediate game, and he was just a really good all-around player for the Browns. He is someone that they will build their offense around for years to come.
Now, looking at next year, to predict that Fannin Jr. is a 90-plus catch, 1,000-yard receiver wouldn't be that far out of the question. In each of their second seasons, both Kittle and Kelce had over 85 catches, and each had over 1,000 yards receiving. It would truly not be that far out of the question to see that from Fannin next year.
Now, would a stat line like that be good for the Cleveland Browns? This is where the conversation gets really good.
With Cleveland's investment in the skill groups in the draft, an ideal world would see a balanced offensive attack that gives the two rookie receivers a bunch of targets, and Fannin is likely the third or fourth most targeted player on the Cleveland offense.
I think that if things are going great for the Browns next year, then they will have a very balanced offensive attack. Fannin's numbers may not reach his ceiling, but I don't think that is a bad thing.
I do, on the flip side, believe that if the Browns are majoring in Fannin, then things are going wrong at either the quarterback position or the two rookie receivers are more of a disappointment than they are a bright spot.
Harold Fannin Jr. will be a key part of Cleveland's success for now and for years to come. I just don't believe that maxing out his usage is good for the Cleveland Browns as a whole in 2026-27.
Browns Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Browns. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
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Both of those players are on completely different trajectories. Watson is playing for his career while Fannin is looking to establish himself as one of the great tight ends in the entire NFL.
The question that we pose today is, how high is Fannin's ceiling, and if he reaches it, is that a good thing for the Cleveland Browns?
Fannin has the tools to be one of those game-changing type tight ends. What has made guys like Travis Kelce and George Kittle the best in the world at the position is that they refuse to be tackled, and they are actually very elusive.
Fannin has that type of build to his game where he simply refuses to be tackled when he has the football in his hands, and that is something that is both rare and cannot be taught. It is a natural ability, and Fannin Jr. has it.
In his rookie season, Fannin Jr. finished with 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns on the year. He made deep plays, he made plays at the line of scrimmage, he made plays in the intermediate game, and he was just a really good all-around player for the Browns. He is someone that they will build their offense around for years to come.
Now, looking at next year, to predict that Fannin Jr. is a 90-plus catch, 1,000-yard receiver wouldn't be that far out of the question. In each of their second seasons, both Kittle and Kelce had over 85 catches, and each had over 1,000 yards receiving. It would truly not be that far out of the question to see that from Fannin next year.
Now, would a stat line like that be good for the Cleveland Browns? This is where the conversation gets really good.
With Cleveland's investment in the skill groups in the draft, an ideal world would see a balanced offensive attack that gives the two rookie receivers a bunch of targets, and Fannin is likely the third or fourth most targeted player on the Cleveland offense.
I think that if things are going great for the Browns next year, then they will have a very balanced offensive attack. Fannin's numbers may not reach his ceiling, but I don't think that is a bad thing.
I do, on the flip side, believe that if the Browns are majoring in Fannin, then things are going wrong at either the quarterback position or the two rookie receivers are more of a disappointment than they are a bright spot.
Harold Fannin Jr. will be a key part of Cleveland's success for now and for years to come. I just don't believe that maxing out his usage is good for the Cleveland Browns as a whole in 2026-27.
Browns Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Browns. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
