3 Cleveland Browns who stood out despite Week 12 defeat

1. Cedric Tillman, Wide Receiver

Cleveland was set on improving their wide receiving corps this offseason. They had a huge campaign in 2022 from Amari Cooper but outside of him, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about. That’s why they added Elijah Moore in a trade, sending their top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the New York Jets for the speedy receiver.

They also received the 74th pick in the draft, which wound up being their first selection. That was also used to add a receiver, as their first pick wound up being Cedric Tillman from Tennessee. His addition gave them a large 6-foot-3, 215-pound target on the outside across from Cooper.

Through the first 10 games, however, Tillman hasn’t seen the ball much. Even with Donovan Peoples-Jones being traded to Detroit, he’s been largely forgotten — until Sunday. Tillman came into the game with just 10 yards on three receptions but doubled that total on his first catch in this one.

Tillman had a 10-yard reception in the first quarter and continued to see the ball come his way. In the first half alone, he had 55 yards on four receptions, including a 23-yarder that moved the ball to the Denver nine. The Browns had to settle for a field goal but No. 19 did a great job moving the ball deep into enemy territory.

He didn't record another catch in the second half but much of that had to do with DTR being out with a concussion. The two were former high school teammates so their rapport is unsurprising. Hopefully, the fact that they started connecting means even more good things are on the way for Tillman.

More Cleveland Browns news and analysis