The Cleveland Browns have not had a ton of positives to highlight on the offensive side of the ball this season. That’s largely played into Cleveland going 2-8 through its first 10 games; Cleveland is last in yards per play in 2025 and 31st in passing yards per contest.
The offense has been and continues to be a source of frustration for Browns fans, particularly when it comes to throwing the football.
In recent weeks, rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been at the helm, as compared to earlier in the season with veteran Joe Flacco (who has since been traded to the Cincinnati Bengals). It’s not been featuring tons of highlights for Gabriel, who is at the bottom of qualified quarterbacks in yards per attempt (37th) and on the year, he's been sacked 18 times.
On the plus side, Gabriel does seem to have nice chemistry with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., and Gabriel has found some ways to get David Njoku the ball. The connection with Jerry Jeudy has been hit or miss, though, as in games Gabriel's started, Jeudy's catch rate has been just 41.9 percent.
What was a welcome sight from Cleveland's Week 11 loss on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens, however, were flashes from Cedric Tillman. The big-bodied receiver snagged three catches for 52 yards, including a 26-yarder down the seam from Gabriel, and it was great to see some downfield shots from Cleveland in the process.
Tillman’s progression is something to monitor over the rest of the 2025 campaign for the Browns
Tillman returned for Cleveland in Week 10 in a loss to the New York Jets, following a four-game absence due to a hamstring injury. In that game, he posted two catches for 11 yards, but he also caused a 29-yard defensive pass interference penalty by New York in a shot play to him.
So far this season, Tillman has registered 16 catches for 169 yards. He's hauled in two touchdowns, both of which came in Cleveland's first two games in losses to the Bengals and Ravens.
Granted, it hasn't been a noteworthy year for Tillman to this point, and the aforementioned injury didn't help. Those things aside, Cleveland still has to find ways to get him opportunities, and it'd be encouraging to see him build on Sunday's performance.
Tillman seemingly came on as last season wore on and posted 29 catches for 339 yards in his sophomore campaign with Cleveland. Three of those grabs resulted in scores.
He's still a young wide receiver, and he doesn't create separation as easily as Jeudy, for instance, but Tillman can potentially be a viable threat on the perimeter for the Browns to utilize.
He demonstrated that at times last year and he can be a bigger threat for Gabriel, or Shedeur Sanders, who played in the second half on Sunday in a loss to Baltimore (with Gabriel out with a concussion). It was a difficult set of circumstances for Sanders in that second half, and he definitely struggled, but if he's called upon again, a more gifted downfield thrower in Sanders could have nice chemistry with Tillman as well.
Regardless of what transpires on that front, Tillman could be a player for Cleveland to target at times outside the numbers for jump ball-type plays along the sideline and realistically with some deeper in-breakers. With his six-foot-three, 215-pound frame at wideout, Tillman can provide a different element than other Browns receivers at the moment (not factoring in tight ends).
Additionally, if given the looks, one could foresee Tillman being a shot play target on the fringe red zone, or be a player Cleveland's young quarterbacks look to in the red area with his feasible catch radius and willingness to go into traffic. Tillman is a tough pass-catcher, and although he's not a burner, if given further developmental chances, he could more regularly demonstrate how he can wall off defensive backs with his size in some key moments to make contested plays.
Now, of course, Tillman has to be healthy from here to see if he can take momentum into the offseason, and a player of his archetype stands to benefit from Cleveland's protection being more competent drive to drive. The latter point there, especially, remains to be seen, no matter who is under center in the upcoming games.
But rest assured, it would behoove the Browns to be involving Tillman throughout the rest of the 2025 campaign. He's shown flashes, and a strong close to the year for him would be very promising with his fourth year to come in 2026, which is set to be the last year of his current rookie deal.