Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has drafted several wide receivers since taking over in Cleveland but has yet to have one prove to be a player that can stick. Some have worried about his ability to address the position through the draft.
The Browns have received back-to-back breakout games from their third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and that narrative may be changing.
Cedric Tillman stepped up hugely against the Baltimore Ravens, including scoring a game-winning touchdown in the final moments of the game.
Tillman scored a 38-yard touchdown on a deep pass from quarterback Jameis Winston to give the Browns a 29-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens. It is now two games in a row that Tillman has stacked exceptional outings.
“Yeah, Ced’s a guy — you guys have asked me about Ced before and the opportunities weren’t there, but knew we had a lot of trust in him when those opportunities came,” Kevin Stefanski said after the game. “Jameis trusted him on that last play, great call by Dors, and got behind the defense and made a play.”
After trading Amari Cooper, the Browns needed other wideouts to step up and just that happened against Baltimore. Tillman was Winston’s top target with seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Just last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tilman caught eight passes for 81 yards.
Of course, the Browns moving from Kevin Stefanski to Ken Dorsey could have an impact on how often Tillman is being used. Winston coming in and being more of a ‘gunslinger’ kind of quarterback that will throw it all over the place.
The last two games are the first real opportunities that Tillman has had to make a significant impact. Cleveland’s 6-foot-3 wide receiver now has 18 catches for 189 yards on the season and it is reasonable to expect he will continue to produce with how the offense is currently operating.
To date, Donovan Peoples-Jones is the best wide receiver that Berry has drafted and his best season was in 2022 when he made 96 catches for 839 yards. His production fell off from there and the Browns ended up trading him away. Others like Anthony Schwartz and Michael Woods couldn’t stick with the team. David Bell has been dependable in slight usage but he is out for the season and his best season was as a rookie in 2022 when he had 214 yards.
It is only a two-game sample size of Tillman in his current role, which is notable. But it appears that the young wideout is getting more comfortable and that is a good sign for his future with the team. He is already making an impact as a bigger target that can get open.
At 2-6 on the season, the Browns don’t have a whole lot to celebrate about. You have to take the good things when they come with how things have gone for the team and Tillman’s breakout is one.
