The Athletic named a former Tennessee Vols wide receiver as a potential breakout player in the NFL in 2025.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman was listed this week by The Athletic as one of 32 breakout candidates in the NFL this fall.
Tillman, who played at Tennessee from 2018 to 2022, is entering his third season with the Browns.
The former Vol caught 29 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games last season.
From The Athletic: Tillman’s surge in the back-middle of the 2024 season came out of nowhere. Not only had the Browns’ pass game been largely ineffective, but also Tillman was barely seeing snaps or targets early last season. When Jameis Winston took over and started throwing the ball downfield, Tillman became both a consistent target and a real threat. A concussion forced him to miss the end of last season, but Cleveland did not draft a receiver and has Tillman’s role as an outside wideout almost in ink, regardless of who wins the quarterback job. Tillman’s size is an asset, and he can complement the speedy Jerry Jeudy in the intermediate and vertical passing games.
Tillman certainly has a huge opportunity in 2025. As The Athletic noted, he's essentially locked in as a starter for the Browns. Starting opportunities don't come around often for football players. It's imperative that Tillman takes advantage of this opportunity if he's going to find a longterm home in Cleveland.
