Browns may have just had a trade partner come about for a player Cleveland could move before preseason ends
The Cleveland Browns very well could move former third-round pick Cedric Tillman before the regular season via trade. Did a trade partner just come about?
The Cleveland Browns are a few weeks into training camp, and the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills is just days away. Saturday’s matchup will feature quarterback Shedeur Sanders getting a start, but the game also represents another critical opportunity for players on the back end of the roster to make their case for one of the 53 spots.
One player who needs that opportunity more than most is wide receiver Cedric Tillman, the former third-round pick who didn’t play in the first preseason game due to injury and hasn’t been practicing.
Tillman badly needs to get back on the field if he wants to stick around in Cleveland. At this point, the Browns’ best-case scenario for Tillman would be to trade him. He’s in a contract year with no years remaining on his deal, and he’s set to leave in free agency regardless.
Cleveland isn’t likely to bring him back because his time with the Browns through three seasons hasn’t gone as planned. Tillman has struggled to stay on the field, and when he has been available, consistent play has eluded him.
A potential trade destination just emerged for Cedric Tillman?
A trade destination may have just popped up. The Houston Texans lost wide receiver Jaden Higgins to a torn ACL, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That’s a sizable blow because Higgins is a starting receiver for Houston who provides length at 6-foot-4 and went over 500 yards receiving as a rookie last year.
Tillman brings similar length at 6-foot-3, and though he has never stood out in a starting role, he did start 10 games for the Browns last year. He could benefit from stronger quarterback play, which he would get from Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, even if Stroud has been on a decline the last couple of years. The move wouldn’t cost the Texans much, but it would fulfill their need for another wide receiver body to compete for a roster spot with Higgins now set to miss time.
This is a key year for Stroud, and Houston needs to do everything it can to surround him with the pieces he needs to succeed.
Cedric Tillman’s role in Cleveland has all but disappeared
The wide receiver room in Cleveland has filled up and pushed Tillman to the back of the room. The same crowded situation could greet him in Houston, but with Higgins out, Tillman provides a similar frame and could benefit from a fresh start. The cost would be minimal for the Texans. You’re talking about a late-round draft swap or a seventh-round pick at most.
Tillman could be cut. The Browns could keep him around. Or a trade could be made. Trading him, if the opportunity presents itself, should be the move Cleveland makes with the former Tennessee Volunteer. The Browns drafted Denzel Boston to be their X receiver, and at best right now, Tillman is the backup X behind a player you don’t figure to see leave the field often. Tillman’s role has greatly diminished in his fourth season with the Browns, and sending him elsewhere in the AFC isn’t such a bad idea.
