The Cleveland Browns defeated the Tennessee Titans 27-24 on Sunday, and there were several great takeaways from the game. One of the most exciting was that the Cleveland offense got Harold Fannin Jr. involved.
Despite being one of the team’s most talented players, the second-year tight end hadn’t been a big factor in the offense in recent weeks. That changed on Sunday.
Fannin was the second-leading receiver in the game with six receptions for 91 yards. The final of those six receptions was a 36-yard catch and run that set up the game-winning field goal for the Browns. That play, and Fannin’s entire performance, should serve as a reminder to the Browns that there should never be a game where the ball doesn’t find its way in Fannin’s hands at least a few times.
That's especially the case considering how easy it is for Fannin to pick up yards. The tight end reminded everyone on Sunday that he’s a YAC (yards after catch) specialist, so he needs his targets.
Harold Fannin Jr.’s YAC ability should remind Browns to feed him targets
Entering Sunday’s game, Fannin had been targeted a combined seven times in Cleveland’s last two games, resulting in just one 4-yard catch for the tight end in Week 5 and a 9-yard catch in Week 6. For a player of Fannin’s caliber, that’s simply unacceptable.
The tight end showed exactly why against the Titans in Week 7. Fannin doesn’t need a lot of exotic designs to be schemed open. He just needs the ball in his hands. Of his 91 yards on Sunday, 60 came after the catch, as he has a special ability to squeeze out every yard possible.
Fannin’s first catch of the game on Sunday was a screen that he caught at the line of scrimmage before juking one defender and trucking another on his way to a 12-yard gain. In the fourth quarter, the tight end caught another pass at the line of scrimmage, and although he was initially contacted after about 1 yard, Fannin bulldozed through three defenders near the sideline for a 9-yard gain.
Finally, Fannin’s YAC prowess was on full display on the offense’s final play, catching a pass four yards from the line of scrimmage and quickly turning up field to stiff-arm two defenders on his way to a 36-yard gain.
The good news is that Browns head coach Todd Monken, who is also the offensive play caller, has seemingly learned to get Fannin the ball and let him work. Following Sunday’s win, Monken awarded Fannin a game ball, and joked: “Finally someone got him involved. ... Finally someone got him the ball.”
Hopefully, Monken makes sure that continues going forward.
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