Denzel Boston has certainly made the most of his limited receptions so far this season. In his first two NFL games, the Cleveland Browns’ rookie wide receiver has already emerged as one of the most explosive big-play threats in the league.
He has a long touchdown in both of Cleveland’s outings, with a 46-yarder against the Jacksonville Jaguars and a 55-yard catch-and-run against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though he is second on the Browns in receptions, Boston has a commanding lead in receiving yards, with more than KC Concepcion and Harold Fannin Jr. combined.
Heading into Sunday, Boston could be poised for a “busy” game in a potential shootout against the Carolina Panthers.
“Boston is tied with KC Concepcion for a team-leading 11 targets and has three fewer receptions than his draftmate, but he leads the Browns with 154 receiving yards and has scored in both games. In Week 3, the Browns will play their home opener against the Carolina Panthers, who gave up 59 points to the Chicago Bears just two weeks ago. The Browns offense doesn’t compare to the Bears’ unit, but Boston could be busy in a surprisingly high-scoring contest,” Moe Moton wrote.
A second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Boston certainly showed this kind of potential during spring workouts and training camp. But an underwhelming preseason raised some doubts about his role in the offense, particularly with Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
But Watson has proven to be more effective than predicted, which has allowed Boston to establish himself quickly. He had just two receptions against the Jaguars, and his TD did not come until the fourth quarter of the 34-10 loss.
But last week against the Buccaneers, he was much more involved as Watson started to regain his form. Boston was targeted seven times and made five catches for 95 yards, including his game-tying highlight play in the third quarter.
So far, Boston is tied with Fannin and Quinshon Judkins for second on the team in receptions, with fellow rookie Concepcion leading the way with 10. But the first-round pick has just 71 yards on those catches, an average of 7.1 per grab, well behind Boston’s 22.0 yards per catch, which ranks second in the NFL behind Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens (30.0).
With the Panthers having scored more than 30 points in each of their first two games, the Browns may need another stellar performance from Boston if they hope to keep up.
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