Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2025: TE Preview – Preparing for the future?

David Njoku is in the final year of his contract.

The next position we’re looking at in our Cleveland Browns training camp preview is tight end.

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1. David Njoku – Starting TE

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 246 lbs | Age: 28
Experience: 9 years | College: Miami

David Njoku is now entering the ninth year of his NFL career, all of them with the Cleveland Browns. Given his athletic ability and dominance he has shown at times, it seems almost crazy that he’s never cracked the 1,000-yard milestone. The closes he came was in 2023, when he had 882 yards. Last year, the injury bug hit Njoku a bit, as he missed six games and finished the season with 64 catches for 505 yards and 5 touchdowns. What’s notable about that is the 7.9 yards per catch were well under his career average. In 2020 (11.2), 2021 (13.2), 2022 (10.8), and 2023 (10.9), he was well above that each year.

If Joe Flacco is the Browns’ starting quarterback to begin the year, it should be a welcome sight to Njoku fans. During Flacco’s four-game win streak at the end of the 2023 season, Njoku had 28 catches for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns. One thing people will be looking at during the season is whether the team still has long-term plans for Njoku. He’s still youthful at 28 years of age, but he’s entering the final year of his contract, and this is around the area where a player might be signing their final long-term deal in the NFL. Njoku has shown lots of love to the city of Cleveland, but will the Browns want to get cheaper at the position? Will Njoku want to go find a better contender?

With Cleveland relatively unproven at the wide receiver position, they should be leaning on their tight end targets a lot in 2025.

Final Roster Odds: 100%

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2. Harold Fannin Jr. – Rookie TE

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 241 lbs | Age: 20
Experience: Rookie | College: Bowling Green

When the Browns selected Harold Fannin Jr in the third round of this year’s draft, fans were pretty stoked to add a complementary receiving tight end to the group, thinking about some of the mismatches the team can create. But, was the team also preparing for 2026 and beyond, when Njoku is set to be a free agent after this season?

Fannin played college locally at Bowling Green, and here is what Dane Brugler said about him heading into the draft:

A two-year starter at Bowling Green, Fannin played the “A” tight end position in head coach Scot Loeffler’s pro-style spread offense, splitting his snaps between inline/wing (38.3 percent), slot (31.7 percent) and out wide (26.2 percent). In an offense designed to weaponize its tight end, Fannin transitioned from high school safety and had arguably the greatest tight end season in FBS history in 2024, setting single-season records for catches (117) and receiving yards (1,555). He became the first consensus All-American in Bowling Green history (and just the school’s second in any sport).

With his strong hands and urgent athleticism, Fannin is at his best as a pass catcher and shows a unique feel for creating as a ball carrier. He is still very young — and it shows, especially in his blocking and route running. Overall, Fannin is somewhat of an unconventional prospect. He is awkwardly athletic with stiff, restricting movements, but he plays with straight-line explosiveness, outstanding tracking skills and threatening run-after-catch ability. He fits best as a hybrid H or F tight end and offers three-down potential.

Prior to the draft, DBN’s Barry Shuck conducted an interview with Fannin. Curtiss Brown also looked at some of his accolades, as well as the absurd marks he graded with Pro Football Focus. I was excited about the team’s running back situation, although a certain off-the-field matter has soured that at the moment. Beyond that, Fannin is one of the top players I want to see this training camp, so we can determine how much of a contribution he can make to the team from Day 1.

Final Roster Odds: 100%

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3. Blake Whiteheart – Returning TE

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 250 lbs | Age: 25
Experience: 3 years | College: Wake Forest

Blake Whiteheart went undrafted in 2023 and signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He saw a little action on their roster as a rookie, but was waived before the start of the 2024 regular season. The Browns then added him to their practice squad, and then he spent much of the season as the team’s third tight end.

In 11 games, Whiteheart caught 6 passes for 51 yards and 1 touchdown, also occasionally lining up at the fullback position. He wants to do whatever it takes to make the roster as a versatile player, and if the team keeps three tight ends, he should be the favorite to do that based on what he showed last year. DBN’s Barry Shuck also just conducted a great interview with him, which you should check out here. The interview includes him talking about the moment he made this great catch in the snow against Pittsburgh:

Final Roster Odds: 70%

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4. Brenden Bates – Backup TE

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 255 lbs | Age: 25
Experience: 2 years | College: Kentucky

Brenden Bates is an undrafted free agent tight end from 2024 who initially signed with the Chicago Bears. He caught 6 passes for 100 yards in the preseason, but didn’t make the final roster and then the New York Jets claimed him off waivers. He spent most of the season with them, but then in December, Cleveland signed him off the Jets’ practice squad. He played in 2 games with the Browns as a reserve tight end.

With Njoku being the starter, you typically like to have one receiving and one blocking tight end as your reserves. Fannin fills the receiving role, and Whiteheart is the favorite to take on that blocking role. Bates would be competing with him for that job, though. Even though Whiteheart is a more familiar name by a little bit, one of these other guys could always impress the staff.

Final Roster Odds: 20%

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5. Sal Cannella – Backup TE

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 242 lbs | Age: 28
Experience: 1 year | College: Auburn

Sal Cannella was an interesting move that the Browns made following their mandatory minicamp. I had talked about how there were some clips of veteran TE Tre’ McKitty making some nice catches at that camp, and after it concluded, the team waived McKitty and signed Cannella.

Cannella’s NFL journey started as an undrafted free agent. However, no one signed him in 2020, so he played for The Spring League Fall season. In 2021, the Dolphins signed him for a few days in the offseason before cutting him. He then played in the USFL before a stint with the Packers in 2022. Then, in 2023, he played in the XFL, winning a Championship. He then bounced between the Seahawks, XFL, Buccaneers, and UFL. On June 2, he was named to the All-UFL team as a member of the Arlington Renegades. Now, he’s getting another offseason shot with an NFL team.

Based on how short his offseason stints have been with other NFL teams in the past, it’s hard to project him warranting more than a flier by the Browns here, but we’ll see how things go.

Final Roster Odds: <5%

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