In a year in which offensive highlights were few, the 28-yard touchdown catch made by Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr.–the only touchdown of the game, it turned out–on a deep pass from Shedeur Sanders in Sunday’s 13-6 win over the Steelers will be near the top of the list. The only problem was that, as soon as he made the catch and tumbled into the end zone, Fannin leapt up and hopped uncomfortably, grasping his thigh.
He had re-injured the hamstring problem that had first cropped up during practice the previous week. Fannin left the game, and with David Njoku also out, the Browns were down to Sal Cannella making his NFL debut at age 29, and journeyman Brenden Bates at tight end.
Fannin’s injury appeared difficult enough to warrant keeping him out of the season finale in Cincinnati. But, coach Kevin Stefanski said, that won’t necessarily be the case, for Fannin or for fellow rookie Carson Schwesinger, who played through a bad thigh bruise on Sunday.
Said Stefanski: “All are rehabbing, all are progressing, can’t rule anybody out just yet.”
Harold Fannin Leading the Way for Tight Ends
Fannin is part of a strong class of rookies for the Browns, a class that includes Schwesinger–the frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year–and Sanders, as well as running back Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. First-round pick Mason Graham, too, has mostly lived up to his billing.
But Sanders and Fannin do have a good connection. Fannin has 72 catches this season, for 731 yards and six touchdowns.
“Obviously, Harold’s a big part of our offense and definitely a player that Shedeur trusts with the football,” Stefanski said. “We trust all our guys that are out there and we made adjustments through that game without having Harold for the majority of it. But there’s definitely a comfort level with Harold and the quarterbacks.”
Said Sanders, “We kind of knew going into the game he was banged up, so it wasn’t really like super surprising. We got great players on the ‘Hungry Dawgs,’ so Sal (Cannella) was able to come back in and be able to get his feet wet.”
Browns’ Carson Schwesinger Played Through Pain
After the Browns’ win over the Steelers, Stefanski highlighted the grit shown by Schwesinger against the Steelers, as he fought through the pain of his injury to, as Stefanski put it, “play on one leg.”
Schwesinger made nine tackles, most in the game.
“I just think, you know, I watched it during the game and making plays and pushing himself and trying to get loose in between series and that type of thing,” Schwesinger said. “And it’s just emblematic of the effort out there, and I appreciate that and I think it speaks well about him. It speaks to his teammates as well.”
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