The Cleveland Browns are 4-2 through six weeks of the 2026 NFL season, and the defense has carried much of that success. Cleveland still has one of the better defenses in the league, even without superstar EDGE Myles Garrett. The Browns rank in the top 10 in both scoring defense and passing yards allowed per game.

On the flip side, the offense is where the Browns have struggled. Cleveland has been winning in spite of what it has put on the field with the football. The Browns are averaging just 17.7 points per game and 173.5 passing yards per game. A part of the struggles lately for the offense have left tight end Harold Fannin Jr. as a nonfactor. 

Harold Fannin Jr.’s production has dipped over the last 3 games

Fannin has just two catches for 13 yards over the last two games. Stretch it out to the last three games, and the second-year tight end has only 40 receiving yards.

That can’t happen for a player who had 72 catches for 731 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. Fannin was a major weapon for the Browns last season. Cleveland’s offense has to find ways to get him the ball more consistently as this season goes on, there’s no doubt about it. 

Browns head coach and play caller Todd Monken addressed Fannin’s recent lack of production and pointed to the bigger issues with the passing game.

“It’s really nothing to do with Harold as much as it is, we’ve got to become more consistent at throwing the football, and at times we’re not connecting with anybody, coaching or playing,” Monken said. “That’s all of us. Protection, calls, players, quarterback, everybody. So, when you’re not consistently, like, the first half the other day, we didn’t have a lot of plays, didn’t have a lot of production, so no one’s going to touch it very much. So, the better we get on offense, the more we’re able to stack plays and put drives together, you’re going to see more production by our top-end guys. And certainly, Harold is one of those, along with Denzel (Boston) and KC (Concepcion Jr.). And obviously you’ve seen Jerry (Jeudy) come up big the last few weeks. So that will rise as we get better on offense.”

Browns have to get the ball to their young playmakers

Monken is right that Cleveland simply has to be better throwing the football. Deshaun Watson has played better this season than he has at any point previously in a Browns uniform. Still, it hasn’t been good enough, and the Browns need to get the ball to their young playmakers more often.

Fannin is a real problem for defenses once the ball is in his hands. At 6-foot-4, 241 pounds, he can do plenty of damage after the catch. That’s exactly the type of player an offense averaging under 18 points per game needs to feature.

Fannin, along with rookie wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, make up the top three pass catchers for Cleveland. Additionally, Jerry Jeudy has come up big over the last few weeks, which gives the Browns another option to work with. Getting the ball to that group at a higher success rate has to happen if Cleveland wants to make some noise and potentially make a run at the playoffs.

It won’t be easy to keep stacking wins with the offense operating at this level. Leaning on the defense has worked through six weeks, but winning despite the offense doesn’t look sustainable over a full season. Getting Fannin back into the mix figures to be a bigger part of what the Browns want to do in the weeks ahead.