The Browns spent the 2026 NFL Draft trying to fix an offense that had too many holes after a rough 2025 season, and one of the quieter additions might end up mattering more than people expect.
Cleveland used eight of its 10 picks on offense, including two tight ends taken in the back half of the draft. One of them was Cincinnati’s Joe Royer, a fifth-round pick at No. 170 who came off the board two rounds ahead of fellow rookie tight end Carsen Ryan. That draft slot usually buys a little more runway, but Royer’s college production is what really makes him stand out in this group.
The Browns already have their starter in Harold Fannin Jr., but the No. 2 tight end job is there for the taking. Royer looks like the best bet to grab it if he handles camp and preseason the right way. Cleveland got a solid mix of size, strength and playmaking when it made that pick, and there isn’t much in the rest of the competition that jumps off the page when you stack up past production at either the college or NFL level.
Royer’s path to this point wasn’t exactly linear. He began at Ohio State and managed just four catches for 24 yards across three seasons before transferring to Cincinnati.
Once he got there, his game took off. In two seasons with the Bearcats, he posted 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns.
That kind of production gives him a real shot to become part of the offense if he can build timing with whichever quarterback is on the field. If he strings together a strong training camp and preseason, there’s a clear path for him to be involved in the regular-season plans.
The bar at the position isn’t especially high beyond Fannin Jr. David Njoku was the second option last season, but his numbers were modest: 33 receptions, 293 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. Fannin Jr. nearly tripled those totals, so Royer wouldn’t need to do much to make a case that he can offer more than Njoku did in that role.
The scheme should also help. With Todd Monken taking over as head coach, the Browns are expected to look different on offense.
Last season leaned on outside zone runs and 12 personnel, but this year should be more spread-oriented. That kind of setup could suit Royer well if Cleveland uses him as a catch-and-run threat instead of asking him to live as a blocker.
Even then, his frame should hold up. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Royer has the build to handle work against outside defenders when the Browns do ask him to block.
Whether Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders is under center, Royer has a real chance to show Cleveland that the investment was worth it - and maybe that he should have gone even earlier in April.
In Other News...
Joe Flacco Just Sent A Message Browns Fans Know Too Well
The Browns quarterback room in 2025 already has enough intrigue with Joe Flacco alongside Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett, and a small moment from Netflixs Quarterback docuseries offered a reminder of how Flacco tends to see things. In Season 3, the veteran took aim at one of the little style choices that can come with being a young NFL passer, turning a casual exchange into a lesson about keeping the focus on the job.
On the practice field, Flaccos message to Sanders and Gabriel was less about fashion than it was about priorities, with the visor talk landing as a gentle warning against trying too hard to look the part. It fit the way Browns fans have come to know him over the years, and it also underscored the dynamic in a room where the youngest quarterbacks are still figuring out how to carry themselves while the oldest one keeps reminding them what matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Fans Wont Love How Fast Jerome Ford Is In Trade Talk
Jerome Fords time in Cleveland never really got the runway it once seemed headed for. Drafted by the Browns in 2022, the running back saw his role shrink after the team added more backs in 2025, and his production faded before he finished the season on injured reserve. By the time Ford moved on to Washington on a one-year deal, the Browns had already shifted the backfield picture and left little doubt that his old spot was gone.
Now Ford is back in the kind of roster conversation that can turn quickly for a veteran running back, with his new team still sorting out the depth chart behind the top options. He is competing for a backup role in Washington, but the broader chatter has already started to circle the possibility of him being moved again if the Commanders decide they have enough at the position. For Browns fans, it is the sort of reminder that a once-promising draft pick can become trade fodder almost as fast as the league can reassign carries. [Read more 🡒]