3 players Browns should rest and 2 who need the snaps in Week 18
By Randy Gurzi
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Browns need to play: Cedric Tillman, WR
Before taking Siaki Ika, the Browns had another selection in the third round which came at No. 74 overall. This pick was added when they traded the 42nd overall selection to the New York Jets in exchange for No. 74 and Elijah Moore. Knowing how much help their receiving corps needed, they then used the Jets' pick on Cedric Tillman from Tennessee.
CEDRIC TILLMAN WITH THE CATCH OF CAMP pic.twitter.com/oQB5oJKLId
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 1, 2023
A big-bodied wideout, Tillman stands 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. It was wassumed right away he would be in line to replace Donovan Peoples-Jones, who was in the final year of his rookie deal. That happened sooner, rather than later, as DPJ was sent to Detroit ahead of the trade deadline.
While Peoples-Jones has been riding the bench for the majority of his time with the Lions (making us ask why they traded for him anyway), Tillman has seen an uptick in his snaps. He's also been producing at a much higher rate than he was earlier in the year.
Entering Week 18, Tillman has 18 receptions for 181 yards but is still waiting for his first touchdown. 15 of those catches have taken place between Week 12 and Week 17. Not all has been great for him though as he was guilty of running the wrong route against the Bears, leading to a pick. Tillman even drew the ire of Joe Flacco last week against the Jets when he seemed to have taken the wrong path on an option.
Anyone who followed Tillman during his collegiate career shouldn't be too surprised that he's had some growing pains. He's a talented wideout who can be hard to tackle once he has the ball but his route tree was limited at Tennessee. He needs time on the field to improve and this is the perfect week to allow him to play as many snaps as he can handle.