Just a day after learning that former Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton will be starting for the Las Vegas Raiders as a rookie, we now know that another former UT pass catcher will also be starting for his AFC team.
The Cleveland Browns have listed third-year receiver Cedric Tillman as one of their three starting receivers in the official depth chart on the team site.
Tillman got his feet wet as a serviceable receiver during his rookie season in 2023 with 21 receptions for 224 yards in 14 games. He broke out during his second season in the league, but suffered a season-ending injury late in the year just as things were really starting to click for him. Last season, he tallied 29 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns in just 11 games on the field for the Browns.
Now, after being recovered from a concussion during the 2024 season, Tillman appears ready to take the next step in his career, as long as the Browns can figure out their jumbled quarterback situation at some point this season. Cleveland lists veteran Joe Flacco as the depth chart starter but also have Kenny Pickett, (former Josh Heupel QB) Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders.
“Tillman should see single coverage with regularity as defenses focus on Jeudy and tight end David Njoku,” Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote. “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
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Tillman has appeared to be a standout player during camp this summer, both on and off the field. He’s reportedly been putting in quite a bit of extra work with Cleveland’s handful of quarterbacks after camp while also showing out against the Browns’ DBs during camp.
#Browns WR Cedric Tillman winning his red zone 1-on-1 at practice today. pic.twitter.com/vPo4kASV53
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 4, 2025
Speaking of former Vols in Cleveland, Tennessee rookie running back Dylan Sampson is listed as the second-string running back for the Browns behind Jerome Ford. The Browns drafted former Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the former Buckeye remains unsigned after being arrested on a domestic violence charge in early July.
Judkins’ ongoing legal troubles mean that Dylan Sampson is getting a lot of extra work at Cleveland’s training camp and could present himself as an impact rotational running back as just a rookie in the league.
Dylan Sampson was the SEC Offensive Player of the year in 2024
He led the SEC in rush yds, rush TDs, & yards from scrimmage, while having the 9th-most carries in CFB
He averaged 123.8 rushing yards per game & had 22 rushing touchdowns
DRAFT HIM pic.twitter.com/knBoVTAnzb
— David Mendelson (@DMendy02) August 4, 2025
