Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski runs the offense. That’s his baby. Yet, last year the Browns’ offense was one of the league’s worst units, in fact, ranked dead last with a 71.4 passing rating plus the 29th-ranked rushing offense.
They were 20th in total passing yards (3,879), ninth in pass completions (395), 30th in passing touchdowns (19), the most interceptions thrown (23), 29th in rushing yards (1,608), 28th in rushing attempts, 31st in rushing touchdowns (8), and the second most sacks
allowed (66).
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During this off-season, Stefanski offered modifications for 2025. Numerous personnel changes occurred, including several members of the coaching staff. The quarterback had to be addressed. So did the starting running back. The offensive line had way too many injuries. Defensive tackle was a sieve, and both starters, Shelby Harris and Mo Hurst, ended up on IR. Safety Juan Thornhill was shown the door. So was DT Dalvin Tomlinson and WR Elijah Moore. K Dustin Hopkins made 68.7% of field goal attempts, and his inconsistency followed him into this year’s preseason and was ultimately replaced.
As far as the tight end group, after David Njoku, this unit was abysmal.
Jordan Akins wasn’t re-signed since his production was pedestrian over a two-year span. Brendan Bates (6’-5”, 255 pounds) was an undrafted rookie after spending time on the Chicago Bears and New York Jets practice squads and played sparingly with only one target and zero receptions. Blake Whiteheart (6’-4”, 250 pounds) went undrafted the year before and came to Cleveland from the Arizona Cardinals, but participated in 11 games with six receptions.
When Stefanski arrived in Cleveland, the offensive scheme highlighted two tight end sets. It was explained that Stefanski utilized a double-tight end system frequently. It helped the running game, especially if both tight ends were good blockers, and set up the middle zones for short passes that required linebacker coverage, of which a tight end had a size advantage.
And the first few years, the offense had a very good running attack. RB Nick Chubb was always in the Top-5 running backs in the league statistic-wise. During the 2022 season, he was the league rushing leader for four consecutive weeks.
But inconsistency at the quarterback position killed this offense. Deshaun Watson never played like his three-time Pro Bowl self and missed a lot of games due to injuries. This meant a new guy had to take over with a different style and skill set that the offense had to adjust to.
In 2023, the Browns used five starting quarterbacks and tied an NFL record held by the 1987 New England Patriots. In 2024, the Browns set another record by starting four quarterbacks, thus having the most starting QBs in two years with nine.
Rolling into 2025, the quarterback room may or may not be solved. But the tight end room has improved. The beauty of this year’s effort is the fact that the position coach in 2024 was Tommy Rees, who is now the offensive coordinator for Cleveland. This means he already has a personal relationship with each member of the tight end room and knows their strengths and weaknesses.
Njoku is completely healthy going into his ninth year. He missed five games last year due to multiple injuries, including an ankle sprain in Week 1, a hamstring pull in Week 15, plus a knee injury in Week 16 that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
He is the catalyst for the tight end room. He finally learned how to block along the line and also downfield, and now, he is quite adept at these tasks. Njoku wasn’t asked to block while at the University of Miami and was used primarily as a big receiver. But at the NFL, tight ends must become an extension of the offensive line and be able to move bodies off the line and provide running lanes as the running back approaches.
Njoku (6’-4”, 246 pounds) remains a viable passing threat, especially with his 37.5” vertical leaping ability. How many circus catches have Browns fans seen him make over the years? He is a player who does become injured quite often, but when completely healthy all year, he makes a huge difference. This showed out in 2023 when he played in 16 contests and had 882 receiving yards on an astounding 123 targets with 81 receptions, six touchdowns, and was voted to the Pro Bowl.
That just so happened to be the year that Joe Flacco was the starting quarterback as both connected well on their way to an 11-win season and a playoff berth. The two work well together as Njoku is a dependable pass catcher who will find the open layers and can catch the errant throw if needed. The two men have gained a great friendship off the field. Njoku is also an absolute beast after the catch. In 2024 alone, he had 251 YAC derived from his 505 receiving yards.
Simply put, Njoku is a playmaker. When he has an abundance of catches, the offense moves down the field. He is excellent on those third-and-7/8 yards for first-down hustles. He can gain yardage with his legs, and any defender that attempts to bring him down must hit him square and wrap up his legs because he is churning up yardage and has the mindset that he isn’t going down to go with his 4.64 speed.
Yes, Njoku will drop some passes. And oftentimes, one of his drops will be at the worst inopportune time in the game, it seems at the time. And yes, that is completely aggravating for the fans, and the offense. He had seven drops last year and in that Pro Bowl season a year earlier? It was 11. In his career, he has had 32 total drops.
What is the solution? WR coach Chad O’Shea may know, or perhaps Stefanski, but we don’t. Can’t fix kickers, or receivers who drop passes.. Haven’t got a clue how to solve any of the above problems, to be factual.
This year, GM Andrew Berry gifted the offense by selecting TE Harold Fannin, Jr. out of Bowling Green in the third round of April’s NFL draft.
Fannin (6’-3”- 241 pounds) has 4.71 speed and a 34” vertical. In college football last year, he led the nation in receptions with 117. Yeah, a tight end who had 117 catches in one season. Plus, he led the nation in total receiving yards, gaining 1,555 yards. This means he beat every college wide receiver’s number for the 2024 college year. In two categories. As a tight end.
He comes ready to play and could become one of those elite tall receivers. This means the Browns now have a pair of really good receiving tight ends in an offense that features two tight ends. Both guys have an excellent catch radius.
The Browns are counting on Fannin to pick up the slack at tight end and to meld with Njoku as this receiving duo as an extra playmaker.
Stefanski has offered a lot of conversation about his offensive scheme change going into 2025 and the use of multiple tight ends. His former offensive attack had success in the past when two tight ends were used who had talent and good blockers.
Fannin has versatility in that he can be used split out wide as a wide receiver, at times, in the slot, as well as at tight end.
In the NFL, the thought process is that if the franchise chooses a guy who plays your position in the first three rounds, they have just drafted a replacement. That isn’t the case with Fannin. He isn’t in Cleveland to get Njoku’s job. He is in Cleveland to pair with him as a playmaking duo. This season just happens to be Njoku’s contract year. Fannin’s arrival with the Browns has nothing to do with this.
Njoku is excited regarding Fannin being on the roster:
“Oh my God, he’s a beast, right? I love it. He’s awesome. You know what I mean? It builds the competition. We get that much better together. He’s awesome. He’s a great kid.”
Fannin is an Ohio kid. He grew up in Canton and went to McKinnley High School, where he was the school’s quarterback. He had one college offer: Bowling Green. As he grew taller and filled out, he was switched to tight end, where he discovered he had great hands and a knack for gaining yardage after the catch. He already knew how to run with the rock since he was an option QB who ran the ball often.
He became a Two-Time All-MAC player, Consensus All-American, the MAC MVP, 68 Ventures Bowl MVP, and also the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He also shone at the Senior Bowl. In his final two years, Fannin emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the nation.
In his senior year, Fannin was the highest graded receiver in the nation by Pro Football Focus with a grade of 96.6. He was also the highest-rated overall player in the nation with a grade of 96.1.
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And get this: PFF graded him the highest-rated pass-catching tight end in run-blocking with a grade of 73.7. Not only is he a great receiver, but he is an excellent blocker. He has set seven NCAA records. No wonder Njoku loves this guy.
In the preseason, Fannin had six snaps against the Carolina Panthers without any stats. Versus the Philadelphia Eagles, he did not play. In the finale with the Los Angeles Rams, he had two targets, two receptions for 16 yards, and scored a touchdown with just 11 snaps.
The coaching staff treated Fannin as a starter and barely played him during the preseason in order to protect his health, just like the others.
The other tight end, Blake Whiteheart, is a beast at blocking. He will catch the occasional ball, but his role in this offense is to assist the run game and be a Red Zone target when called upon. And he acknowledges this. He enjoys the act of blocking along the line or downfield and is a very unselfish player. He calls himself a “skinny offensive lineman.”
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On the practice squad, former UFL standout Sal Cannella was signed along with Brendan Bates. Both players were in the Browns’ training camp this year, so they are already familiar with this offense.
Njoku has proven that when he remains healthy, he can become one of Cleveland’s best offensive playmakers. He recently had 81 catches in a single season, which proves he is a valued member of the offensive game plan each week. He is a complete player now that he is a good blocker along the line and downfield for other receivers.
What Njoku and Fannin need is someone to feed them. That will come from #15, so don’t be surprised if Fannin catches a ton of passes. “Flacco to Fannin” will most likely become a thing this year.
In fact, if everything works out like it should, that would make a great t-shirt.
