Don’t be surprised if former Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman starts turning heads at Cleveland Brows training camp this summer.
That’s according to Bleacher Report fantasy football writer Gary Davenport this week.
In an article tagging eight fantasy football sleepers to keep an eye on during training camp, Davenport tagged the former Tennessee standout as one of his top players to watch out for.
From a fantasy perspective, Davenport does note that few Cleveland players are all-too-exciting with the abundance of question marks that surround the quarterback position. But there’s still room for Tillman to break out in his third year in the league. He did serve a brief role as Cleveland’s best receiver last year until a concussion ended his season prematurely.
“Assuming that’s the case, Tillman should see single coverage with regularity as defenses focus on Jeudy and tight end David Njoku,” Davenport wrote, referring to a starting role in his assumption from the start of the text. “Don’t be surprised if Tillman turns heads in camp. And if the Browns can get anything remotely resembling competent quarterback play, Tillman could keep right on turning heads into the regular season.”
(He muttered in his sleep): What if Cedric Tillman is just a poor man’s version of Nico Collins and his Weeks 7-11 stretch pre-injury weren’t a fluke? #DawgPound
📽️: @Ihartitz pic.twitter.com/07ZNi115jS
— SleeperBrowns (@SleeperBrowns) July 9, 2025
More From RTI: VFL Joe Milton III Battling With Former Florida QB For Dallas Cowboys’ Backup Spot
Tillman was a serviceable backup receiver as a rookie in 2023 and improved on his stats before the season-ending injury as a sophomore in 2024. In that second year, Tillman hauled in 29 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns for the Browns. He only played in 11 games last season, marking a big jump up in yards per game from 16.0 in 2023 to 30.8 in 2024. Those still aren’t world-beating numbers, and Cleveland certainly hasn’t figured out its quarterback situation in any of those years, but it’s still signs of growth as he looks to become a statement point on the Browns’ offense.
The Athletic’s Zac Johnson reported on Wednesday that Tillman stayed after practice with the rookie receivers to help new quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Shedeur Sanders get acclimated to things. That not only shows his desire to get on the same page with the potential signal-callers Cleveland might throw out this year, but his desire to be a leader on the team and in the receiver room.
Speaking of rookies, Tillman will reunite with a former Tennessee teammate of his at camp this summer. The Brows selected running back Dylan Sampson in the fourth round of the 2025 Draft, who was a freshman during Tillman’s final season in Knoxville in 2022. With the ongoing legal issues that rookie running back Quinshon Judkins is going through right now, Sampson could have an opportunity to see some reps during his first year in the league this fall.
Cedric Tillman and Dylan Sampson’s former teammate Hendon Hooker is also off to a nice start during training camp with the Lions this year. Read more about what the former Tennessee quarterback has been up to here.
