Harold Fannin Jr. doesn’t sound particularly concerned about the numbers, and the Browns don’t seem to be either.
Through six games, the Cleveland tight end is still doing plenty of damage, just not at the same pace he set last season. Fannin has 19 catches, good for second on the team, along with 166 receiving yards and three touchdowns, which ties him for the team lead. His yards per catch have dipped to 8.7, though, down from 10.2 in 2025.
That drop hasn’t come with a major drop in workload. Fannin is averaging five targets a game, only a shade below last year’s 6.5. The bigger reason for the shift appears to be the way Cleveland’s offense is distributing the ball.
The Browns have more mouths to feed now, thanks in part to rookie wide receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion. The weekly receiving leader has bounced around all season: Concepcion in Weeks 1 and 2, Fannin in Week 3, Quinshon Judkins in Week 4, four different players in Week 5, and three different players in Week 6.
So the question is whether this is a usage problem or simply a product of how the game has unfolded. Deshaun Watson said it’s the latter.
“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.”
Todd Monken, who is calling the plays now, sees it the same way. He said the offense is trying to attack the defense in front of it rather than force the ball to one 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.”
Fannin isn’t losing sleep over it. For him, the only thing that really matters is the scoreboard.
“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.”
That kind of answer fits the way Monken describes NFL Sundays: different week, different answers. One game it’s Concepcion or Boston.
Another it’s a committee. And sometimes it’s Fannin, like it was against Carolina, when he finished with seven receptions and two touchdowns.
The Browns know he’s a weapon. Sooner or later, Watson will have to find him in a big moment, and if that happens, Fannin’s track record says he’ll haul it in.
In Other News...
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That leaves the quarterback conversation getting harder by the week. Deshaun Watson has given Cleveland strong fourth-quarter play, but the early-game inconsistency is still part of the equation, and the idea of turning to backup Shedeur Sanders keeps hovering over the situation. If the Browns keep winning, Monken may be forced to weigh whether changing quarterbacks is worth the risk of disrupting a streak that has already bought the team some breathing room. [Read more 🡒]
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Browns Face A Costly Rushing Dilemma At The Worst Time
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The problem, of course, is cost. Any pursuit of a marquee runner would likely force the Browns to part with meaningful draft capital or other assets, and the roster's age profile already leans young enough to make a long view appealing. With the offensive line still working through its own challenges, Cleveland has to decide whether to chase help now or trust its current backs and draft picks to grow into the answer. [Read more 🡒]