Jaguars HC is a big fan of Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr.
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026-27 NFL season is officially underway, which means the Cleveland Browns and head coach Todd Monken are in the midst of preparing for the team's Week One matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While most of the attention on offense has been focused on the rookie wideouts this offseason, 2025 third-round pick Harold Fannin Jr. has gone under the radar. However, the Jaguars' defense has seemingly been preparing for the rising star ahead of the upcoming regular-season contest.
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When asked about Fannin earlier this week, Jaguars' head coach Liam Coen gave strong praise to the young tight end, claiming that he's "a huge fan of him."
"I'm a huge fan of him," Coen stated. "I loved him coming out of Bowling Green...I thought he was super underrated last year. I watched him block Micah Parsons on a duo when he was in-line, and he held his own and had a stalemate."
Fannin's impact on the Browns' offense
After being selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Fannin quickly became a focal point of the Browns' offense as a rookie.
The 22-year-old playmaker finished his first season in Cleveland with 72 receptions for 731 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Fannin also led rookie tight ends in receiving yards and ranked seventh in yards after the catch (352) at his position in 2025.
In addition to his strong praise for Fannin, Coen also told reporters that his style of play should translate to Monken's offensive scheme.
"You see him flexed out running wheel routes and option routes, and then he goes all the way out to be the single receiver and running daggers and 20-yard ins," Coen added. "So, I gotta believe that some of those parts of Fannin's game translate to what [Coach Monken] likes to do with some of those tight ends."
Now, with plenty of hype surrounding the second-year tight end heading into this season, Monken must find a way to balance his passing attack with rookie receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. Luckily for Fannin, his terrific yards-after-the-catch ability will be a key piece of the offense since he will be the security blanket for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Jaguars HC is a big fan of Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr.