Fannin failed to haul in his only target in Saturday's 34-10 preseason loss to the Bears.
With Deshaun Watson getting the start under center for the Browns, Fannin's only target came on a 3rd-and-5 in Chicago territory, but he couldn't bring in it. Fannin had an impressive rookie season in 2025 after being a third-round pick despite the team's QB woes, but he missed most of the offseason program while recovering from groin surgery and only got cleared in mud-July, costing him valuable time to develop chemistry with Watson. If Watson does win the Week 1 starting job ahead of Shedeur Sanders, who showed a strong rapport with the tight end last year, it could impact Fannin's numbers in the early part of the schedule.