- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,256,522
- Reaction score
- 59
BEREA ― Harold Fannin Jr. isn't necessarily one to say a whole lot. The Browns tight end would rather just let the performance he puts on the field speak for him.
The only problem with that is when Fannin isn't able to perform on the field. That was the challenge he basically was dealing with from the moment his rookie season essentially ended on a Week 17 touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers last December.
Fannin re-aggravated a groin injury he had sustained days earlier in practice. The injury landed him not only on injured reserve for the 2025 season finale, but also required offseason surgery to correct.
Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletter
That meant, instead of being able to finish his rookie year with a flourish, he had to finish it on the sidelines. The finish essentially ended up in frustration, something he's carried with him into the start of training camp.
"I mean, a little bit, yeah," Fannin said prior to the first camp practice July 29. "I mean, like I told you, my goal is just to be healthy, so it is definitely frustrating."
The Canton McKinley High School and Bowling Green State University product was unable to participate in any of the on-field drills during the Browns' offseason program in May and June. He finally was cleared to practice about two weeks before the start of camp.
Now, Fannin is making up for lost time, as he reported with the rookie for camp July 23 and was on the field prior to the first full-squad practices. Not through overexertion, but simply through availability on a play-in, play-out basis.
"Yeah. I mean, coming back early, kind of just, I've been ramping things up," Fannin said, "but just kind of just hopping in, full go. I'll be full go."
Fannin is coming off a season where he set a new Browns' rookie record for receptions with 72, which also ranked second among all 2025 NFL rookies. His 731 receiving yards led Cleveland and were the most ever by a Browns rookie tight end, while ranking fourth among rookies, while his six receiving touchdowns were sixth among rookies.
That was all done while the Browns still had veteran David Njoku on the roster. As Fannin enters his second season, Njoku is now with the Los Angeles Chargers and the former third-round pick finds himself not only as tight end No. 1 in Cleveland, but also one of the centerpieces of its passing game overall.
While Fannin downplayed that by saying "nothing's set in stone," Browns coach Todd Monken certainly spoke of the tight end before the first training camp practice as someone he believes strongly in the potential of even greater heights.
"“He looked really good last week," Monken said. "He’s still a young player, developing player, but what a great mindset. He wants to get better and works awfully hard. You guys have seen him. One thing I didn’t know that I saw last year is his yards after contact; I didn’t see that at Bowling Green, maybe I didn’t study hard enough. … Man, is he hard to tackle. As he develops his route running skills, I wouldn’t say he’s a matchup guy yet, I think he’ll continue to develop as a blocker. But, if you get him the ball, I think he’s a hard guy to bring down. I think he’s a powerful man and only going to get better.”
Monken's no stranger to seeing great tight ends. During his three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator, he had Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, the latter emerging as a true threat under his watch.
However, the name Monken evokes when he talks about Fannin is Brock Bowers. Bowers was a star at the University of Georgia when Monken was the offensive coordinator there who has continued that success as a first-round draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders.
"I mean, it kind of makes sense," Fannin said. "I remember in college, me and Brock Bowers were kind of up there with the yards, so it makes sense."
The surgery and subsequent recovery prevented Fannin from getting a chance to learn Monken's offense through repetition in the offseason. However, he was present throughout much of the offseason program, standing behind the plays and sitting in the meetings.
While it wasn't the ideal way to take in a new system, it was the only way Fannin could do so considering the cicumstances.
"Yeah. I mean, I just stayed near Jeff (Blasko), my position coach," Fannin said. "Just kind of do little walkthroughs and stuff while they do special teams, just kind of staying around the players, just staying involved."
Fannin now gets to be involved in the way all football players want to be, by actually performing. He looked smooth and unburdened by the injury during the first practice open to the media, even if many of the throws in his direction may not have been the same.
Buy Cleveland Browns tickets
It's not about what Fannin does in July or August, though. It comes down to when the season starts in September that will be the gauge by which he's judged.
To that, Fannin has a very basic set of expectations for himself.
"I got pretty simple goals," Fannin said. "Just make it through healthy, do my best, put the best film on tape. That's really it."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Harold Fannin Jr. ready to build on record-setting rookie year with Browns
Continue reading...
The only problem with that is when Fannin isn't able to perform on the field. That was the challenge he basically was dealing with from the moment his rookie season essentially ended on a Week 17 touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers last December.
Fannin re-aggravated a groin injury he had sustained days earlier in practice. The injury landed him not only on injured reserve for the 2025 season finale, but also required offseason surgery to correct.
Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletter
That meant, instead of being able to finish his rookie year with a flourish, he had to finish it on the sidelines. The finish essentially ended up in frustration, something he's carried with him into the start of training camp.
"I mean, a little bit, yeah," Fannin said prior to the first camp practice July 29. "I mean, like I told you, my goal is just to be healthy, so it is definitely frustrating."
The Canton McKinley High School and Bowling Green State University product was unable to participate in any of the on-field drills during the Browns' offseason program in May and June. He finally was cleared to practice about two weeks before the start of camp.
Now, Fannin is making up for lost time, as he reported with the rookie for camp July 23 and was on the field prior to the first full-squad practices. Not through overexertion, but simply through availability on a play-in, play-out basis.
"Yeah. I mean, coming back early, kind of just, I've been ramping things up," Fannin said, "but just kind of just hopping in, full go. I'll be full go."
Fannin is coming off a season where he set a new Browns' rookie record for receptions with 72, which also ranked second among all 2025 NFL rookies. His 731 receiving yards led Cleveland and were the most ever by a Browns rookie tight end, while ranking fourth among rookies, while his six receiving touchdowns were sixth among rookies.
That was all done while the Browns still had veteran David Njoku on the roster. As Fannin enters his second season, Njoku is now with the Los Angeles Chargers and the former third-round pick finds himself not only as tight end No. 1 in Cleveland, but also one of the centerpieces of its passing game overall.
While Fannin downplayed that by saying "nothing's set in stone," Browns coach Todd Monken certainly spoke of the tight end before the first training camp practice as someone he believes strongly in the potential of even greater heights.
"“He looked really good last week," Monken said. "He’s still a young player, developing player, but what a great mindset. He wants to get better and works awfully hard. You guys have seen him. One thing I didn’t know that I saw last year is his yards after contact; I didn’t see that at Bowling Green, maybe I didn’t study hard enough. … Man, is he hard to tackle. As he develops his route running skills, I wouldn’t say he’s a matchup guy yet, I think he’ll continue to develop as a blocker. But, if you get him the ball, I think he’s a hard guy to bring down. I think he’s a powerful man and only going to get better.”
Monken's no stranger to seeing great tight ends. During his three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator, he had Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, the latter emerging as a true threat under his watch.
You must be registered for see images attach
However, the name Monken evokes when he talks about Fannin is Brock Bowers. Bowers was a star at the University of Georgia when Monken was the offensive coordinator there who has continued that success as a first-round draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders.
"I mean, it kind of makes sense," Fannin said. "I remember in college, me and Brock Bowers were kind of up there with the yards, so it makes sense."
You must be registered for see images attach
The surgery and subsequent recovery prevented Fannin from getting a chance to learn Monken's offense through repetition in the offseason. However, he was present throughout much of the offseason program, standing behind the plays and sitting in the meetings.
While it wasn't the ideal way to take in a new system, it was the only way Fannin could do so considering the cicumstances.
"Yeah. I mean, I just stayed near Jeff (Blasko), my position coach," Fannin said. "Just kind of do little walkthroughs and stuff while they do special teams, just kind of staying around the players, just staying involved."
Fannin now gets to be involved in the way all football players want to be, by actually performing. He looked smooth and unburdened by the injury during the first practice open to the media, even if many of the throws in his direction may not have been the same.
Buy Cleveland Browns tickets
It's not about what Fannin does in July or August, though. It comes down to when the season starts in September that will be the gauge by which he's judged.
To that, Fannin has a very basic set of expectations for himself.
"I got pretty simple goals," Fannin said. "Just make it through healthy, do my best, put the best film on tape. That's really it."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Harold Fannin Jr. ready to build on record-setting rookie year with Browns
Continue reading...
