Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was one of the offense’s few bright spots in 2025.
Fannin led the Browns in receptions (72), receiving yards (731), receiving touchdowns (6), and was sixth in yards per catch (10.2).
Through six games of the 2026 season, it appears that Fannin has not been as productive, although there are extenuating circumstances.
Heading into this week’s game against the Tennessee Titans, Fannin has 19 receptions (second on the team), 166 receiving yards (third), and three
receiving touchdowns (tied for first). However, his yards per catch have declined to an average of just 8.7 yards.
Fannin’s targets are down slightly – an average of five per game compared to 6.5 last season – but that is a small difference.
So, what gives?
For starters, the Browns have more weapons on offense with the addition of rookie wide receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion.
In Weeks 1 and 2, Concepcion led the team in receptions. In Week 3, it was Fannin; Week 4 was running back Quinshon Judkins; in Week 5 it was four different players, and in Week 6 it was three different players.
Could it be as simple as quarterback Deshaun Watson spreading the ball around according to
the way the game is going and not something more complicated?
According to Watson, the answer to that question is “yes”:
“It depends on how the defense is playing us, and we only have one football. We got a lot of skilled guys that can make plays. (Denzel) Boston, Jerry (Jeudy) been coming along, KC (Concepcion Jr.), and then we got Harold. So, that’s four different guys and one football. So, you got to pick your spots depending on the play call and what the defense is presenting. And you got to find the open guy and find the right guy with the ball. So, it just depends on the game.”
One big change from Fannin’s rookie season is that head coach Todd Monken is now calling the plays. But Monken said the offense is focused more on exploiting the defense and not feeding the ball to any one particular player:
“Sometimes the matchup’s not great, like when (Baltimore went) dime and that’s Kyle Hamilton. We had some that were designed or that could get to (Harold), and that was Kyle Hamilton covering him. And the game goes sometimes in a way that it doesn’t end up where the ball doesn’t find him. And I thought Harold did a great job blocking. He did a number of things well when we asked him to do that, and he is certainly a weapon that we are trying to get the ball to.
“I mean, we would like to get the ball more to Denzel Boston, and we’d like to get the ball more to KC Concepcion, and Harold happens to be one of those others. And so, we just got to do a better job collectively. And then you’ll see those touches will rise.”
But what about the man himself? Is Fannin bothered by what some perceive as a slow start to the season?
Not so much, because the Browns are winning and because he knows the opportunities will come:
“I’m cool with it. It doesn’t really bother me. I’m obviously happy that we’re winning. We’re going to continue to keep coming out with wins whether I have catches or not. The main thing is to go out there and win. I’m going to continue to go out there and do my job to the best of my abilities that I can. If we come out with a win, I come out happy.”
As Monken has pointed out numerous times, every week is different in the NFL. Some weeks it will be Concepcion or Boston leading in receiving, some weeks it will be a committee, and some weeks, like against Carolina when he had seven receptions and two touchdowns, it will be Fannin’s turn to shine.
At some point, Watson will need to find Fannin in a big spot, and given his track record, Fannin will make the catch.
Until then, as Fannin said, everything is cool for the first-place Browns.
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