The cries for the Cleveland Browns to add a significant wide receiver have been constant throughout this offseason. After failing to acquire a veteran either in a trade or as a free agent, the Browns are believed to be heading toward the 2026 NFL Draft ready to add a wideout in the first round.
Cleveland has been persistently linked to Carnell Tate at the No. 6 overall selection, and to various other prospects from a deep class later in the first round. However, a potential No. 1 wideout could already be on the roster.
Analyst Lance Reisland said he believes Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman could emerge as a potential breakout player under new head coach Todd Monken.
“I think with Todd Monken, they’re going to use [Cedric Tillman] and what he does well. Sure, he does a lot of things very, very poorly, but he’s an outstanding athlete. He high points the ball very well, curls, digs, posts, red zone, things that he’s had success with. That’s what they’ll do with him,” Reisland said.
At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Tillman certainly fits the physical profile for a No. 1 wideout, which is likely what the Browns were thinking when they selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. However, despite showing impressive flashes at times, he has not lived up to expectations and has struggled to avoid injuries.
Tillman has started just 19 of his 38 NFL games played. He began to emerge in 2024, when, over a three-game span in Weeks 7-9, he was targeted 32 times and made 21 catches for 255 yards and three touchdowns. However, two weeks later, he suffered a concussion and did not return for the rest of the season.
Last season, when he was limited first by a hamstring injury and then another concussion, he did not have a game with more than 52 receiving yards. Tillman was rarely targeted after Shedeur Sanders took over as Cleveland’s starting quarterback in Week 12, posting just five receptions over those seven games.
Now, the hope is that Tillman can live up to his brief 2024 breakout in the player-based system used by Monken, as opposed to the role-based requirements of former head coach Kevin Stefanski. The receiver also has a full offseason to work with Sanders or Deshaun Watson at QB.
Even if the Browns do add a rookie wide receiver or two in the draft, they will still need a veteran like Tillman to play a big part in the offense.
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