The Cleveland Browns have a lot of things to sort out before the 2025 season begins, but there is plenty of reason for optimism, even on the heels of a disastrous 3-14 campaign that left the entire organization in flux.
The pecking order at both quarterback and running back remains two key situations that need more clarity on offense, but one analyst recently brought up another key member of the offense and urged the team to hold off on an extension.
Cleveland insider Grant Puskar recently posted on X that as much as he loves star tight end David Njoku, he believes it’s best to wait on a possible extension until after the season, just in case third-round rookie Harold Fannin Jr. proves he can be a star.
The #Browns just drafted Harold Fannin. Love Njoku, but I’m not extending him before the season starts. If Fannin is a beast you don’t need to extend Njoku 🤷🏻♂️
— Grant Puskar (@grant_puskar_) July 10, 2025
Fannin set NCAA records for a tight end at Bowling Green last season with 117 catches for 1,555 yards, and early reports out of camp suggest that those numbers weren’t a fluke and he is already impressing everyone with his receiving ability.
Njoku has been getting better and better over the years and is a vital part of this offense, and it will be interesting to see how Kevin Stefanski deploys him and Fannin together.
Cleveland didn’t make any big upgrades to the wide receiver room this offseason, even though it was sorely needed, so we could see a lot of Fannin, despite him being a 20-year-old rookie tight end.
Tight ends typically take a few years to develop, so it would take quite the rookie season from Fannin for the Browns to feel completely comfortable moving on from Njoku.
It would be great to keep Njoku beyond this upcoming season, but that might be an issue for next offseason.
NEXT: Big Expectations Building For Browns Rookie
