BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Not lacking skill or confidence, Denzel Boston entered the NFL fully expecting to do big things for the Cleveland Browns as a rookie.
“I planned on coming in and making an impact,” he said Wednesday.
It’s been immediate and substantial. Smashing.
Through four games, Boston, who was drafted with the No. 39 pick by Cleveland, leads all rookies with 284 yards receiving. The former Washington standout is tied for second in catches (17) among rookies with teammate KC Concepcion Jr., and Boston is just the fourth player in league history to have a 45-yard-plus receiving touchdown in his first two games.
He also is averaging a league-best 21.8 yards per catch.
Big-play Boston.
The Browns (3-1) have been one of this season’s early surprises, with polarizing quarterback Deshaun Watson resurrecting his stalled career. Credit the 22-year-old Boston for playing a major part in the QB’s turnaround and for a team few expected to contend.
Watson, who has quieted some of the deafening noise surrounding him with a solid start in 2026, has been impressed with Boston since the first time they took the field together. They made an early connection and the Watson-Boston bond has only grown stronger.
“I’ve seen it back in the spring,” Watson said of his initial observations of Boston. “The plays that he was making in the spring and the way he ran routes and attacked the ball, it’s impressive, especially for a young guy like him that’s coming in first year in the league. The way he operates, it’s real professional. It’s been great.”
Boston has all the intangibles: size, speed and strength.
At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he is larger than most wideouts and uses that advantage to muscle his way into open space for Watson. Boston also is deceptively fast, as he showed in last week’s 27-24 win over Pittsburgh by getting behind the Steelers’ secondary for a 60-yard reception to set up a TD in the second quarter.
Both he and the even speedier Concepcion, a first-round pick, have given the Browns playmakers to threaten defenses. They’ve fixed an area of weakness and a position group neglected in recent years by general manager Andrew Berry.
Boston has handled his early success with the same maturity he’s displayed since being drafted. Little has fazed him, though he admitted being a little caught off guard when Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf approached him after Thursday’s game.
“DK was like, ‘I’m a big fan of your game,’” Boston said. “So that was pretty cool to me. That’s someone I looked up to.”
Boston has steadily built a fan base inside Cleveland’s facility as well, with teammates and coaches noting his work ethic and drive. Most rookies go through various ups and downs and must navigate a learning curve that is rarely linear.
Not this one.
Browns coach Todd Monken wasn’t initially sure how much he could lean on the young receiver, whose role may expand.
“You’re hopeful,” Monken said when asked if he thought Boston could be this good, this fast. “Whenever you draft a player that high, not being around him, I didn’t know really how he was wired. That’s what allows guys to play really effectively early in their careers — how they’re wired. He’s wired the right way.”
As the catches, yards and TDs pile up, so will Boston’s reputation. Teams will start scheming ways to try to stop him. He’ll draw more attention on the field, and Boston believes he’s fit to handle any accolades.
He’s determined not to change.
“The way I deal with my success is just block it all out,” he said. “When it comes to Twitter, when it comes to Instagram, when it comes to all those things, kind of have to block that stuff out, understand that’s not the main thing.
“Our main thing here is to win football games as a team, not individual accomplishments.”
NOTES: With QB Dillon Gabriel returning to practice after being out with a back injury, the Browns have three weeks before they need to make any roster move with him. Monken said that’s plenty of time to sort through whether to carry four QBs: Watson, Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green. ... DTs Mason Graham (knee) and Mike Hall Jr. (ankle) didn’t practice. Monken said he’s hopeful DT Kalia Davis (quadriceps) can play Sunday against the Jets. ... Starting C Elgton Jenkins cleared concussion protocol and practiced. He sat out last week.
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Tom Withers, The Associated Press