For years, the Cleveland Browns have hoped Cedric Tillman would outplay his draft stock. The former No. 74 overall pick has struggled to live up to those expectations, though, either because of injury, subpar team play, or some combination of both.
Ultimately, that led the Browns to KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston early in the 2026 NFL Draft. With Jerry Jeudy under contract through 2027, and another promising young player in Isaiah Bond returning for his second year as a pro, Tillman feels like the obvious odd-man out.
However, Cleveland may not need to cut ties with Tillman, as they might still get something in return for his services. The New York Giants are in a bit of a wide receiver crisis right now, and this might be the perfect opportunity to find a trade partner for Tillman.
Cedric Tillman suddenly makes a lot of sense for the Giants
The latest reports about Malik Nabers' return from injury are far from encouraging. It doesn't sound like he'll be available for the start of 2026, even though he suffered his season-ending knee injury last September.
John Harbaugh's team can still lean on Darnell Mooney and Darius Slayton, but that might not be enough to live up to their new lofty expectations. As such, they might want to roll the dice on Tillman, given that Harbaugh is more than familiar with the AFC North and his game from his years as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
The Browns probably won't fetch a big return for the former third-rounder, but a future late-round draft pick would more than suffice. They'll likely have a tough choice of whether to keep him on the roster, as he's due about $4 million this season, per Spotrac, and none of that money is guaranteed. Cleveland could thus release Tillman at any time for full salary cap savings.
So why not take a Day 3 draft pick for him instead? It's also possible the Browns could inquire about edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and offer the Giants some sort of package with Tillman in return.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry is always bargain hunting and looking to add late-round picks. The 2027 NFL Draft promises to be one of the most stacked in years, and any additional ammo would be more than welcome.
This hypothetical move comes with obvious risks, though. Tillman is clearly talented, and he might only need a change of scenery and better offensive play to finally break out.
He's never reached 500 receiving yards or five touchdowns in a season, and he won't necessarily move the needle for Harbaugh's team. That said, he'd still be an upgrade over whatever they have next to Mooney and Slayton while Nabers works his way back from injury.
Since he doesn't bring much special teams value to the table, and with the Browns already having at least four wide receivers locked onto their 53-man roster, the writing is on the wall for Tillman. Now, it's all about making the most of whatever's left of his value.
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