The Browns’ 34-10 loss to the Jaguars in Week 1 left plenty to unpack, but one of the loudest warning signs came from how little Harold Fannin Jr. was actually part of the plan.
Cleveland’s offense looked disjointed from the jump in Jacksonville. The new coaching staff and a roster with a lot of fresh faces didn’t help, but the passing game was especially rough and played a major role in the defeat. Fannin, who had emerged as a major piece of the offense as a rookie last season, barely registered in the opener.
One stat tells the story clearly: Fannin posted a 7% first-read target share, his first time ever falling below 10% in that category. In the Week 1 first-read target share data, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston and Jerry Jeudy all checked in at 28%, while Fannin sat way down at 7%.
That kind of usage is a problem for a player who was one of Cleveland’s most productive pass catchers in 2025. Fannin finished last season as the Browns’ leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, putting together 72 catches on 107 targets for 731 yards and six touchdowns. He did that while sharing snaps with former Browns tight end David Njoku, which makes his production even more notable.
In Week 1, though, Fannin was quiet. He finished with two receptions on three targets for 21 yards. That’s a far cry from the version Browns fans got used to seeing last year, even if those breakout numbers came with quarterbacks other than Watson.
The Browns are also trying to work in two rookie wide receivers, including Denzel Boston, who broke out in Week 1, and first round pick KC Concepcion. That makes Fannin even more important as a steady, established option in the passing game while the rest of the room settles in.
If Cleveland wants the offense to move forward, getting Fannin more involved has to be part of the answer. The Browns travel to Tampa Bay in Week 2 to face the Baker Mayfield led Buccaneers, and both Fannin and Watson will need to build some chemistry if that 7% number is going to climb.
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Browns Just Gave Shedeur Sanders A Familiar Boost Behind Watson
The Browns added a familiar face to their practice squad this week, signing wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. after his release from the Carolina Panthers. For Cleveland, it is another low-risk move aimed at adding depth and familiarity around a quarterback room that continues to take shape, and for Shedeur Sanders it brings in a receiver he already knows well from their time together at Colorado.
Horns arrival gives the Browns a chance to keep building chemistry behind the scenes while giving the wideout an opening to prove he can stick. Practice squad additions do not guarantee much, but they can matter in a season when injuries and roster churn can quickly create opportunity, and Cleveland will now get a closer look at whether that old college connection can turn into something more. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watsons Latest Off-Field Issue Is Now Hanging Over The Browns
Deshaun Watsons latest off-field issue is now part of the Browns backdrop as they move through the opening stretch of the season. The quarterback was stopped by Ohio State Highway Patrol on Aug. 26 for driving 86 mph in a 60 mph zone, and he cooperated with the officer before receiving a citation. Watson later pleaded not guilty in Cleveland Municipal Court, with a bench trial set for Sept. 23.
The timing adds another layer of attention around a passer who is already trying to settle in on the field after a rocky opener. In Clevelands season debut, Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, threw a touchdown and an interception, and was sacked five times, then spoke about his performance and his physical condition following earlier injuries. For the Browns, the legal case is now set to linger alongside the football questions. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Thomas Admits How Dark Things Got With Those Browns
Joe Thomas has long been the face of patience through pain in Cleveland, but even he recently revisited just how draining those Browns years could be. In a podcast interview, the Hall of Fame left tackle said there was a moment when he played what he believed was a perfect game, only to walk off after a 30-0 loss to the New England Patriots feeling so overwhelmed that he cried. It was another reminder of what it meant to anchor a team that rarely gave him much help, even while he piled up Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors over an 11-year run.
Thomas also looked back on the bigger picture, saying that by his tenth season he understood the Browns were deep into a rebuild and not close to contending. For a player who endured only one winning season in Cleveland, that realization had to sting, especially for someone who had already given so much to the franchise. Even now, his reflections land with extra weight because they come from one of the most respected players in team history, a lineman whose excellence was often separated from the results around him. [Read more 🡒]