Browns’ Tight End Plans Just Became Complicated

The Cleveland Browns’ offense is going to look a lot different in 2026 than it did in 2025. For starters, they’re moving forward with a new head coach, Todd Monken, who is highly regarded for what he did with the Baltimore Ravens’ offense.

Monken’s philosophy and career history should help the Browns’ offense take the next step it needs to take, but it could take time to develop. He’s certainly up against it, roster-wise, as the team still has plenty of decisions to make at several offensive positions, including quarterback.

It was looking like they were going to head into 2026 with a two-headed monster at tight end, with David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr., but that duo has recently been called into question. Njoku recently came out with an Instagram post addressed to the Cleveland fanbase, which said his time in Cleveland is coming to an end.

Fannin showed enough in his rookie season that he’s capable of handling a big workload, but analyst Jon Ledyard shared some concerns about Njoku’s potential absence in a recent segment of 92.3’s The Fan.

“His ability to be on the field in all situations maximizes somebody like Harold Fannin (Jr.)…you almost need to be a 12-personnel, 2-TE team in order to maximize what Fannin does best,” Ledyard said.

"His ability to be on the field in all situations maximizes somebody like Harold Fannin (Jr.)…you almost need to be a 12-personnel, 2-TE team in order to maximize what Fannin does best."

🚨 @LedyardNFLDraft w/ @VulinecJake on #Browns challenge in replacing TE David Njoku https://t.co/MGA58pWRzC pic.twitter.com/DqEOtvhJnA

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) February 10, 2026

While Ledyard seems to believe Fannin is a great player with a bright future, he also indicated that Fannin’s stellar year was a direct result of Njoku’s work in the offense. His abilities as a pass-blocker and as a receiver made him a constant threat to opposing defenses, giving Fannin opportunities that he otherwise might not have.

Now that Njoku has at least one foot out the door, fans and analysts like Ledyard are trying to hypothesize what the Browns will do to replace him moving forward. It’ll be difficult for them to find someone with as much experience as Njoku, but finding a veteran will be crucial to Fannin’s continued success in all facets of his game.