The Cleveland Browns will enter the 2026 season without David Njoku in the tight end room for the first time since 2016, and it’s an odd feeling. Though the floor of the room seems a bit shakier without the “Chief” in it, it could end up being a more solid overall unit going forward.
As everyone in the league knows, Harold Fannin Jr. is already a star who’s a threat to score whenever he touches the football, consistently turning plays meant to gain 5-6 yards into chunks of 15+. His elite playmaking
skills have begun to garner consistent praise from guys like 49ers All-Pro TE George Kittle, who recently broke down Fannin’s game on an episode of the Pat McAfee Show.
Behind Fannin Jr., the team is most likely counting on either Blake Whiteheart or rookie Joe Royer to step up and win the TE2 job this offseason. Though he’s most likely going to be used as more of an H-back or fullback in 2026, rookie Carsen Ryan could also be in the mix if Whiteheart begins to fall behind.
Jack Stoll was brought in as a free agent this offseason, and though he’ll likely play a role as a rotational blocking tight end, he probably isn’t realistically in the mix to battle for playing time as a receiving threat. The team also set up his contract so that he could be cut without taking on any dead cap, so keeping someone like Carsen Ryan on the active roster at TE4 could be a legitimate possibility as well.
Brenden Bates is also someone who could see time as a blocker alongside Stoll throughout the summer and preseason, but he feels like a practice-squad-only type of player for Cleveland.
Here’s a quick look at what the Browns’ tight end depth chart could look like heading into week one against Jacksonville in 2026:
Todd Monken has always kept four tight ends on his Ravens teams, so it’s plausible to think that he’s planning on keeping four in Cleveland as well.
