Oh no. At Bleacher Report, they’re trade speculatin’, and you know what that means. Yes, we will receive roughly a dozen aggregation items about “Dynamic Tight End Linked to Browns” when the “link” is simply a guy at B/R’s national desk who is trying to think of ways to make up for the lack of news in June.
The essay specifically proposes a trade of two high draft picks in their fifth year, Greg Newsome for Kyle Pitts. Given that the Falcons are unlikely to extend Pitts and that many people assume the Browns may feel the same way about Newsome, this would make some sense. When told that Newsome’s cap hit was almost $3 million higher than Pitts’s, Jack Duffin didn’t object right away.
It’s also possible that Martin Emerson is available for the Browns to replace Newsome. Yes, at that level.
I’ll demonstrate my webdorkian abilities by demonstrating why this rumor is completely nonsensical, and it won’t even depend on helping Greg Newsome in what is probably his final season with the team.
First of all, there is already a bad
run blocking tight end.
The Browns will want run-blocking output from their tight end since, based on the team’s picks during the NFL Draft, they are supposedly moving toward an offense that is more focused on running the football. Pitts won’t supply it.
Pitts has never been good at blocking runs, and his stats aren’t getting better with time. The tight end’s run-blocking grade in 2024 was only 46, according to PFF ($), which is still better than the appalling 31.2 grade in 2023. According to their evaluations, he blocked more throughout his rookie and sophomore seasons, both of which were scored above 50.
Nevertheless, Warren Sharp ranked Pitts’ run-blocking as the 75th best of all tight ends.
For his part, Harold Fannin has never been regarded as a premier run blocker, but he is still young and has room to grow. This brings us to…
Pitts has never been good at blocking runs, and his stats aren’t getting better with time. The tight end’s run-blocking grade in 2024 was only 46, according to PFF ($), which is still better than the appalling 31.2 grade in 2023. According to their evaluations, he blocked more throughout his rookie and sophomore seasons, both of which were scored above 50.
Nevertheless, Warren Sharp ranked Pitts’ run-blocking as the 75th best of all tight ends.
For his part, Harold Fannin has never been regarded as a premier run blocker, but he is still young and has room to grow. This brings us to…
Clogging up development is the second reason.
The Browns selected Harold Fannin, a 20-year-old with a lot of promise from BGSU, with a third-round pick. In 2024, Fannin dominated the field with 117 receptions for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns. Known as a “Day Two Sleeper” by ESPN, Fannin was a popular pick among Browns fans (and the OBR crew) prior to the draft. Nonetheless, it would take a downright narcoleptic person to be unaware of a tight end who leads the FBS in receiving yards, receptions, yards per game, and other metrics. In addition, he was the first Consensus All-American at BGSU.
Get rid of the “Day Two Sleeper” issue. “Day 2 If You’re Comatose-er” is more accurate.
What would happen if Pitts were acquired? Well, it would impede the growth of a player with more upside and more promise than Pitts now possesses. The 20-year-old Fannin was a significant signing, and the Browns adore youthful athletes. It’s absurd to see him sitting on the bench for a far more expensive trade deal.
Reason 3: For brief receptions, the Browns will require YAC.
Although the Browns are unsure of their quarterback for the 2025 campaign, it is profitable to take the current odds against Joe Flacco. Flacco’s experience and the fact that Kenny Pickett is somewhat tradeable make him a potential favorite to start Game One.
However, Flacco is not the only 6’6″ flamethrower. In particular, I anticipate that Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel will both see play under center at different times this season. Both of them, at least in college, make a nice living off of short passes.
It is not well recognized that Pitts can string together runs following brief receptions. His YAC is decent overall, but he ranks #54th in YAC after short catches, suggesting that he might not be the best at getting first downs on last-ditch five-yard passes in third-and-ten scenarios. Additionally, the Browns frequently end up in third-and-ten.
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