The Cleveland Browns brought in quite the draft class in 2025 and early indications are that GM Andrew Berry worked his magic this past offseason as well with the ’26 class. Carson Schwesinger and Mason Graham are already the pillars of this defense, Quinshon Judkins has taken over the backfield, and Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel still have plenty of promise at quarterback.
As good as all of those young talents have been, second-year tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has been a uniquely special addition to this offense. He immediately became the focal point of the passing game last year and has continued to be a significant weapon in Year 2, even going so far as to lead the league in one key stat.
Hall of Fame Ambassador Steve Flack shared that, according to NextGenStats, Fannin leads the league in separation.
“Entering @NFL Week 6, Fannin Jr, has recorded the HIGHEST ‘Average Separation’ of any NFL receiver – 5.3 yards (Per @NextGenStats),” Flack said.
HAROLD FANNIN JR, @Browns TE
Entering @NFL Week 6, Fannin Jr, has recorded the HIGHEST 'Average Separation' of any NFL receiver – 5.3 yards (Per @NextGenStats)#DawgPound #Browns #Cleveland #NFL #NFLHighlights #NFLDebate #NFLFans #NFLUpdates #NFLReactions #nfllive #BALvsCLE pic.twitter.com/O6FmRNXKHo— Pro Football Hall of Fame Ambassador (@PFHOFAmbassador) October 15, 2026
He has just 157 yards so far this season, but does have three touchdowns as he has shown some red zone chemistry with Deshaun Watson. KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have certainly played a role in Fannin’s decline in targets so far, but if this offense is going to keep improving, Watson is going to need to feed his young tight end a bit more even though it’s imperative to get the rookies acclimated.
If he is getting this kind of separation on a consistent basis, it’s on Watson to feed him more. To be able to lead this stat category over all the receivers in the league as a tight end is incredibly impressive and would indicate that his numbers thus far aren’t exactly representative of how well he is playing.
Cleveland has a huge battle with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in an effort to maintain control of the AFC North. We’ll see if this stat makes it across Watson’s desk and he decides to feed his young tight end a little more.
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