CLEVELAND, Ohio — Even by late-stage daylight savings standards, this Browns season is getting dark quickly.
In the span of two weeks, Cleveland suffered one heartbreaking loss at home and one blowout loss on the road. They attended the Baltimore Browns’ 30th birthday party and watched former quarterback Baker Mayfield lead two game-winning drives.
Fortunately, rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is flashing bright enough to keep hope alive.
Just two games into his career, Fannin leads the Browns with 12 catches (five for first downs). He ranks second in both yards (111) and targets (14). He turned 21 in July.
Dare I say, the Canton native looks like a star. And no, it’s not too soon to say so.
Stories by Jimmy Watkins
How trash-talking Browns’ loss to Ravens highlights key difference between the teams — Jimmy Watkins Sep. 14, 2025, 4:19p.m.
Why some Browns fans have the wrong perspective on Ravens’ 30th birthday party — Jimmy WatkinsSep. 12, 2025, 5:00a.m.
New Big Ten record comes with Ohio State football reminder: Don’t forget Woody Hayes — Jimmy WatkinsSep. 10, 2025, 5:00a.m.
History check: Fannin’s 12 catches rank second all-time among rookie tight ends in their first two games. And since 1970, only two other players at his position began careers with two straight five-catch performances.
Their names are Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions) and Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders). Both were first-year Pro Bowlers. Maybe you’ve heard of them.
To refresh memories, the record books know LaPorta for catching the most passes of any rookie tight end in history (2023). Bowers holds the rookie record for most receiving yards (2024). In both cases, the record broken was over three decades old.
Crazy, isn’t it? From 1988-2023, no first-year tight end caught more passes than former Eagles early bloomer Keith Jackson (81 receptions), even though passing frequency exploded during the 21st century.
Until Bowers tallied 1,194 receiving yards last season, former Bears tight end Mike Ditka (1,076 yards) held the rookie record for sixty. three. years.
And by the way, Ditka set the mark during a 14-game season. He still holds the record for rookie receiving yards per game (76.9). Tight ends bloomed late for decades.
Why the delay?
More Cleveland Browns coverage
How the Guardians are hanging tough; What if Baker Mayfield had stayed with the Browns? Terry’s Talkin’ podcast
Browns face toughest challenge yet, Baker Mayfield’s rise, Ravens film review + all-time team draft (Podcast)
What should the Browns do at quarterback this week vs. the Packers? Tuesday’s Sports 4 CLE
Simple: Short of quarterback, few positions count as many chores as players like Fannin. On any play, the tight end can run block, pass block or run a route. He’ll function like a tackle, a fullback a wide receiver. In Fannin Jr.’s case, the Browns even deployed him as a wildcat quarterback during Week 1.
Back in June, Cleveland tight ends coach Christian Jones posited that learning all of Fannin’s jobs was harder than performing them.
“I would say (the hardest part is) the breadth of the playbook, as well as the amount of defensive looks that you have to look at,” Jones said. “Even in the offseason … Schwartz’s defense, they’ll put anything in. So (Fannin Jr.) has to be ready to think quickly, as well as be ready run 10, 12, 30 different calls on the day.”
For many players, such playbook mastery requires a slow burn. Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, a surefire future Hall of Famer, played 74 combined snaps over his first three games. Fannin played 63 during Cleveland’s Week 1 loss to the Bengals.
Former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, the position’s all-time leader in receiving yards, was targeted 14 times over his first seven games. Fannin has the same number already.
Based on involvement alone, the Browns rookie already plays like an outlier.
Now, these numbers could also reflect Cleveland’s lack of pass-catching depth or offensive balance. No team has thrown the ball more often than Cleveland (46.5 times per game) through two weeks. And only two Browns receivers (Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman) boast three or more targets.
But Fannin also shares a position room with former Pro Bowler David Njoku, who presumably could impede Fannin’s production. Instead, Fannin has more targets, receptions and receiving yards through two games. He’s only played 17 fewer pass snaps.
Wildest part: He switched to this position three years ago (2022).
You read correctly. Not only has Fannin developed faster than most tight ends, but he also harbors more room to grow. Two game-samples don’t usually tell us much, but I’m willing to break that trend here.
The Browns might’ve picked a star in the third round, and I’m not rushing to judgement here.
I’m grading on Fannin’s quick learning curve.