It’s always tough to make predictions ahead of the season, but it gives the fans something to do ahead of the season in September. It’s even more difficult with a young roster such as the Cleveland Browns, where seemingly any player could have a breakout campaign.
There’s one offensive player who really has the pathway to take a major step forward this upcoming season.
Recently, Kevin Tompkins wrote a piece breaking down why he believes Harold Fannin Jr. could take a major step forward this upcoming season.
“Thus, this is what we are looking at for Fannin in 2026: The tight end room is now more consolidated, so he can run 85%+ routes each week; Target competition with Jeudy remains, but other rookie receivers are pushing things from a target-earning perspective, depending on when they earn time on the field; The quarterback issues from 2025 persist in 2026, but are no worse than last season. All of those factors really give Fannin the runway to build on his rookie season and the chance to deliver a true breakout season,” Tompkins wrote.
Normally, rookies are eased into things and take on larger roles as the season goes on. Fannin was significantly involved right away and proved he’s ready to play at the professional level. He registered 72 receptions, 731 receiving yards, and six touchdowns across 16 games (13 starts) this past season. The 21-year-old saw over 100 targets, which is quite surprising for a rookie season.
His involvement is likely only going to increase with David Njoku departing this offseason. His absence means that Fannin is the unquestioned top dog at the tight end position. He saw 107 targets behind Njoku last season, so we’ll see what happens in 2026.
The 21-year-old played alongside some of the worst quarterback play in the league last season. Despite that, Fannin was still able to put together a productive rookie campaign. The hope is that the quarterback play will improve in 2026 with Deshaun Watson returning and Shedeur Sanders having a full season under his belt.
The Browns also don’t have a ton of competition for targets on the offensive side of the ball. The assumption is that Jeudy and rookie KC Concepcion are going to be Fannin’s primary competition for targets. Jeudy is coming off a rough 2025 season, and Concepcion is a rookie, so the Browns might lean on Fannin more than fans might think right away.
Given all the factors, Fannin is lined up to have a really strong 2026 season, assuming he’s able to stay healthy. Fans might not want to rule out a 100-catch season for the former third-rounder out of Bowling Green.
The sky is the limit for Fannin, so hopefully the Browns can utilize him to the best of his abilities next season.
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