When the Cleveland Browns selected Cedric Tillman with their top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the best case scenario is for him to take over for Amari Cooper in a season or two. Tillman may get his opportunity to make an early impression between Offseason Team Activities and possibly the team's minicamp.
The Browns have a handful of players currently recovering from surgery this offseason. Anthony Walker Jr. is working his way back from a quad injury, Sione Takitaki is rehabbing his ACL and Cooper had surgery to repair a core muscle injury he played through the latter part of the season.
Cooper revealed that he had the surgery done in February. According to Cooper a month ago, "I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said his plan was to be cautious with Cooper.
"We'll take it slow with him. He's feeling good. I'm not on the field with those guys for another couple weeks. OTAs aren't until May. We will not rush him back on the field. We'll utilize all these days to get his body and mind right, but when that is, I can't say."
It's May and OTAs begin next week.
Cooper's probably not going to do anything on the field outside of a few individual drills. As Stefanski noted, there's no rush. Cooper will use that time to keep training, building up his body in preparation for the season.
This is an opportunity for the Browns to get a look at multiple wide receivers in different alignments. They can mix it up, having Donovan Peoples-Jones line up at all three receiver spots. Stefanski has already revealed the plan for Elijah Moore is to play both Z and operate from the slot.
When the Browns want to simulate having three receiver sets with DPJ and Moore where they would be with Cooper at the X, Tillman could see some reps in his stead. That's the position he played almost exclusively while at Tennessee and is likely to be his fastest path to the field. The rookie will get his first opportunity to work with Deshaun Watson.
Tillman is going to be cross-trained to play multiple receiver roles, so that if he excels, the Browns can find ways to get on the field. Nevertheless, he stands out as a guy who would come in when the Browns need an outside receiver and second-year receiver David Bell may be the first option when they want another guy in the slot.
Among the reasons the Browns selected Tillman included his size and strength both in fighting for space as well as the catch point. He also had developed a release package that allowed him to beat press at the collegiate level.
Tillman's best season was in 2021 when he was the top receiver for the Vols with dominant performances against the top defenses in the country. Due in part to a high ankle sprain that caused him to miss time and Jalin Hyatt breaking out, Tillman became somewhat of a forgotten man in 2022. His skill set didn't disappear, which he showcased once against Georgia and now Philadelphia Eagles corner Kelee Ringo.
Tillman is healthy and OTAs could be his opportunity to quickly remind people why he was so highly rated entering his senior year. He already passed the eye test at rookie camp and now there should be some amount of competition where Tillman gets to face off against the Browns talented corner group.
Tillman often overpowered opposing corners with his size and strength while still being explosive enough to make them nervous about him going deep. Next week, he may get to test his strength against Martin Emerson Jr. and his explosiveness against Greg Newsome II. Outside of the recently signed Chris Westry, Tillman at 6'3" 215 is taller than all of the the corners the Browns have. He's also heavier.
If he's simply able to step in and compete against them, the Browns are going to be beaming. Even if he doesn't, it will simply mean he needs to continue to work on honing his craft, improving his technique. Tillman is also going to be able to continue getting stronger as well.
The Browns are going to want Amari Cooper to get a ton of reps with Deshaun Watson when he's s fully healthy to make sure those two have chemistry heading into the season. Until then, the Browns are going to take full advantage of this sneak peak of what they just added in Cedric Tillman.
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