The Cleveland Browns have made quite a few changes over the offseason, and that continued when they trimmed their roster down to 53 players. With a new coaching staff in town, the Browns are opting for a new look in 2026, which surprisingly led to the team moving on from former starting wide receiver Cedric Tillman last week.
Cleveland has a new crop of wide receivers in town, which led to Tillman getting boxed out of a roster spot, despite the fact that he started 19 games for the team over the past three years. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for Tillman to find a new home in the NFL, as he got scooped up by the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday afternoon.
Saints Sign Cedric Tillman to Their Practice Squad
The Browns selected Tillman in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and through his first three seasons, he flashed his potential during his time on the field. While his numbers were weighed down by Cleveland’s inconsistent passing attack, when Tillman was on the field getting targeted in the air, he was typically making plays.
In 2025, Tillman suited up for 13 games with the Browns, 10 of which were starts. Again, his numbers aren’t anything to write home about (21 REC, 270 YDS, 2 TD), but Tillman appeared capable of taking a step forward if he were to be given more responsibilities on offense. Instead, the front office decided to use two of their first three picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
In some ways, the writing was on the wall for Tillman, but the belief was that, at worst, he’d be a depth option for Cleveland to hold onto. Instead, the team opted to move on from him and give him an opportunity to latch on with a new team. That team has ended up being the Saints, as they signed Tillman to their practice squad after his somewhat surprising release from the Browns.
Saints signed WR Cedric Tillman and TE Stone Smartt to their practice squad,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X.
Browns Moving on From Failed Cedric Tillman Selection
It’s tough to truly label Tillman a bust, but the Browns opted to simply release him without getting anything in return for him in what was viewed as a make-or-break year for him. Sure, he didn’t benefit from Cleveland’s inept quarterback room during his time in town, but Tillman’s lack of consistency is ultimately a big reason why he was sent packing.
While he’s only a practice squad player, Tillman will have an opportunity to carve out a role for himself with the Saints moving forward now, especially with their own rookie wide receiver, Jordyn Tyson, beginning the year on injured reserve. Tillman would have been a nice depth option, but he simply wasn’t part of the Browns’ future, which means all eyes are now going to be on Concepcion and Boston in 2026.
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