Primetime games have a way of revealing who is ready for the moment. The lights are brighter, the audience is larger, and young players who have never experienced that stage can either rise to it or shrink under the pressure. The Browns had plenty of first-timers on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Two of their rookie receivers looked like they had been there before.
Brian Baldinger highlighted the pair during a breakdown.
“Man, they are figuring out a way to use KC Concepcion. Like, he is way more than a gadget guy. They got plays for him. This little tunnel screen right here. Pick up a few blocks. Let him just pick them up and put them down. Quicker than a hiccup. KC Concepcion, yeah, get the ball in his hands. Boston and KC Concepcion, these two rookies, putting on a show in this first half,” Baldinger said.
.@Browns @steelers @KCTheKid7 and Boston are showing why they were high draft picks…first time on a big NFL stage and they are balling. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/DPBbvkav4y
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 2, 2026
Denzel Boston did most of his damage on one play. His 60-yard catch-and-run was Cleveland’s longest gain of the night, and he finished with 4 catches for 89 yards on 7 targets. It was another highlight for the 2nd-round pick, who opened his career with 2 touchdowns in his first 2 games.
Concepcion was even busier. He led the team with 8 targets and turned them into 5 catches for 64 yards, including a long of 25.
The way the Browns are using him is the more telling part of Baldinger’s breakdown. Concepcion is not just getting the ball on trick plays or jet sweeps. Todd Monken and his staff are designing plays to get him in space, like the tunnel screen Baldinger highlighted, and then letting his quickness do the rest.
That matters for an offense that needed answers at receiver. Jerry Jeudy was quiet for much of the early season before coming up big on the game-winning drive, and the Browns moved on from Cedric Tillman before the year began. That left plenty of targets available for young players willing to take them.
The timing of their breakout also lined up with Deshaun Watson’s best stretch of the night. Watson completed 14 of 17 passes for 181 yards in the 1st half, his best opening half since arriving in Cleveland, and the 2 rookies were central to that success.
They are part of a larger youth movement under Monken. Spencer Fano and Austin Barber are starting on the offensive line as rookies, and 2nd-year tight end Harold Fannin Jr. caught a touchdown pass on Thursday. For many of them, it was their first taste of primetime football.
Rookie receivers usually need a full season to earn trust in big moments. Boston and Concepcion are getting there much faster, and if they keep producing at this level, the Browns may have found the core of their passing game for years to come, regardless of who is throwing to them after this season.
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