Cedric Tillman’s early exit shifts the spotlight to a crowded wide receiver bubble. Four contenders now battle for one of the Cleveland Browns final roster spots in a high-stakes preseason finale.
Changes are coming to the Cleveland Browns roster. Come Sunday, all 32 teams will be required to trim their rosters to 53 players ahead of the regular season.
For general manager Andrew Berry, it's one of the most difficult times of year, letting certain players know they're out of a job and sorting out what he wants the 2026 roster to look like.
Those tweaks have already begun, according to multiple reports that indicate 2023 third-round pick Cedric Tillman has been released by the franchise ahead of the team's final preseason matchup with the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
The timing of the move is curious, with a game still to play, but could be a strategic Hail Mary attempt to try and generate some action in the trade market. Either way, he's not expected to be on the Browns roster come Sunday at 6 p.m.
It's an unfortunate end to Tillman's time in Cleveland, which produced some promising moments but never quite materialized due to nagging injuries. Once the Browns drafted Denzel Boston back in April, the writing was on the wall for Tillman, considering they share the same player profile. Injuries cost Tillman some valuable weeks of camp as well, which didn't help his cause.
Entering Thursday night's preseason finale with the New England Patriots, Tillman was one of several players looking to secure the sixth wide receiver spot on the depth chart, which is generally considered the standard number teams keep on their official 53.
At this point, rookies Boston and KC Concepction are locks. Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond and Tylan Wallace round out the first five at the position.
So with TIllman out of the picture, where do things stand with the group?
There are about four guys who are vying for that likely last spot. The first of those is fan favorite and local kid Luke Floriea, who aside from Boston and Concepcion has been arguably the most consistent wideout at camp.
The problem for Floriea is that there are limitations to what he can do with his 5'8' stature. But the Browns have flashed him as a returner at times.
Speaking of returners, Malachi Corley has that in his profile as well and has had a stronger camp in recent weeks. He's very much in the conversation for the last spot but may need a strong performance against New England to cement it.
The other two names that could be in the mix are Kole Wilson and Gage Larvadain. Wilson flashed a few nice returns himself against Buffalo this past Saturday. He'll be looking to make a statement Thursday night. As for Larvadain, he was the feel-good story of camp last year, and made the team as one of the final members of the 53. He can return kicks, and caught nearly everything throughout camp, but also has limitations to his game.
There are about four guys fighting for one potential spot, which should give fans something worth paying attention to in what's a relatively mundane third preseason game.
