Harold Fannin Jr. enters his second NFL season with a pretty clear mission: prove the rookie production was no fluke.
The Cleveland Browns tight end is the only real lock in a crowded-looking room, and after a first year in which he led the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, the next step is obvious. Was that breakout mostly a product of volume, or is Fannin ready to keep producing even as more weapons get involved?
That question sits inside a bigger Browns offensive picture that’s being shaped by the last two draft classes and, of course, the ongoing search for the “quarterback of the future.” While the QB battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will draw plenty of attention, the offense also has real intrigue around RB Quinshon Judkins, TE Harold Fannin Jr., and WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
ESPN’s survey rankings didn’t place Fannin inside the NFL’s top 10 tight ends, but he did land among the position’s young risers. One NFC executive put it bluntly: “His arrow is up.
He’s a chess piece that can maneuver in space. He should be a 100-catch guy.”
At the top of the list, ESPN’s rankings blend established stars with emerging names. Brock Bowers is No. 1, while George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews all remain in the top 10. Andrews, at No. 9, is the highest-ranked tight end in the AFC North, with Pat Freiermuth joining Fannin as an honorable mention in the division.
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The quarterback question, though, was still sitting right there in the same exercise. Cleveland later used a pick acquired from the Rams in the Myles Garrett trade on Drew Mestemaker, a reminder that the search for a long-term answer under center is far from over. Mestemakers path has been anything but typical, and his rise only adds to the intrigue around a Browns offense that could use both a blue-chip target and a younger developmental option. [Read more 🡒]
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Arnold has already been in front of the Houston Texans and has more workouts lined up with the Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, which only adds to the sense that a market is forming even before any team publicly shows its hand. For the Browns, the question is less about whether another corner could help than whether this is the kind of situation they are willing to entertain at all, especially with no official interest confirmed and the off-field backdrop still hanging over the players next move. [Read more 🡒]