The Cleveland Browns could be parting ways with a former third-round draft pick.
Cleveland selected Cedric Tillman in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. Tillman was expected to be a key part of the Browns’ offense, but entering his fourth NFL season, that has yet to happen.
Tillman has been more of a secondary option in the Browns’ offense, and with him being in the final year of his rookie deal, the pressure is on to make an impact. However, ahead of Cleveland’s first preseason game, Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic revealed that Tillman is on the outside looking in to make the 53-man roster.
“Wide receiver Cedric Tillman seems to be on the wrong side of the roster bubble at this still-early stage, but he also was busy collecting targets and receptions earlier this week,” Jackson wrote. “On Wednesday, Tillman was not practicing due to an undisclosed injury. If he doesn’t play Saturday, look for Gage Larvadain, Luke Floriea and Malachi Corley to all potentially move up a spot in the current wide receiver rotation.”
If Tillman is indeed on the outside looking in, perhaps the Browns will be able to land a late-round draft pick for him in a trade. But if not, he could simply be cut, and his time with the Browns would be over after some hype around him.
Tillman recorded 21 receptions for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns last season. In his first three years, he’s recorded 71 receptions for 833 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Browns UDFA WR Impressing
After Cleveland selected KC Concepcion in the first round and Denzel Boston in the second round, the Browns’ wide receiver room became crowded.
Isaiah Bond, Jerry Jeudy, and Malachi Corley were all expected to be part of the receiver room as well. However, second-year receiver Luke Floriea, whom the Browns signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft, is impressing and pushing for a roster spot.
“Right now, Larvadain is behind veteran Tylan Wallace in the rotation, and both are behind second-year speedster Isaiah Bond, who’s made several big plays in recent days after having a quiet start to camp,” Jackson added. …
“Floriea probably won’t be one of the 53 players the Browns keep on their initial roster, but he’s been a productive training camp player for the second straight summer and likely will be on the practice squad in case he’s needed at some point. Floriea has gotten a handful of reps with the No. 1 offense the last two weeks, and on Tuesday he caught a deep touchdown pass from Dillon Gabriel in a full-speed, full-team session.”
Floreia played college football at Kent State and spent last year with the Browns practice squad.
Cleveland Announces QB Plans
Although the wide receiver depth chart is intriguing, the Browns quarterback battle is getting the most attention.
Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are battling for the starter’s role. The Browns announced that Watson will start the team’s first preseason game on Saturday. Sanders, meanwhile, will start the team’s second game against the Buffalo Bills on August 22.
“I have my reasons for how it’s going to go, and it’s still a competition,” Monken said. “We’re excited to watch guys practice today, let alone on Saturday, and then next week against Buffalo, and we’ll get a chance to see them both. Every week we’ll assess it.
“It’ll be a little bit more difficult with the player that doesn’t play as much this week or the other quarterbacks, right? We’ll be able to assess the quarterback that started and how he played and when the other quarterbacks came in and then the opposite will be next week against Buffalo.”
The Browns open their season on Sept. 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Browns Veteran Wide Receiver Handed Grim Outlook on Roster Spot Ahead of Preseason