One of the hallmarks of Todd Monken’s offense is the use of multiple tight ends in most of its formations. However, the Cleveland Browns head coach may have to rethink those plans, at least in the early portion of this season.
The Browns thought they had plenty of tight ends to play alongside emerging star Harold Fannin Jr. They signed Jack Stoll as a free agent to handle the blocking duties and chose pass catchers Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan in the later rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. In addition, Blake Whiteheart and Brenden Bates were returning to the team.
Stoll wound up on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue after Bates was waived with an injury settlement. Royer has not been with the team for months due to an unspecified personal issue, and Ryan looks like he will be used as a fullback instead, at least until injured veteran Michael Burton is able to return.
Considering this dire situation, insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic revealed the Browns are still in the market for the key offensive position and could add two players there if they can.
“The Browns are in the market for a blocking-first tight end. They could even add two tight ends in the coming days after they lost two veterans to season-ending injuries. Fannin is gifted and will be productive again, but the lack of depth otherwise has limited the team’s ability to work with its full list of eventual personnel groupings,” Jackson wrote.
Fannin also missed some time in training camp, and while he appears to be fully healthy now, if he were to get injured during the season, the Browns’ entire offensive philosophy could change. As it stands now, Monken may have to use more three-wide receiver sets than he was accustomed to as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, when he made excellent use of tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
Interestingly, one of the tight ends who was in Browns camp is going back to play in college, as Dae’Quan Wright will play for LSU as a result of the controversial court decisions granting players additional eligibility. The fact that he could not earn a spot with the Browns even in these circumstances suggests that it was the right move for him.
With final NFL roster cuts coming on Sunday, the Browns will surely be monitoring the waiver wire to address this major concern.
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