How young Browns receivers Cedric Tillman, David Bell can benefit after trade of Donovan Peoples-Jones
BEREA, Ohio — If Cedric Tillman had questions in the early part of his rookie year, he always knew who he could ask: Donovan Peoples-Jones.
The two are similar in size (at 6-foot-3 and 6-2, respectively) and demeanor — both quiet, but always down to talk ball with one another.
So it was bittersweet for Tillman to see one of his sounding boards get traded on Tuesday before the NFL’s deadline, as the Browns sent Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions, his hometown team, for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
He was just a good leader, a great leader,” Tillman told cleveland.com. “A guy that knew everything that he was supposed to do, knew all positions of the receiver, and whenever I had a question or needed help, definitely just someone I can go to on the side and (say), ‘Hey, how do I do this?’ Or, ‘what’s going on?’”
Peoples-Jones will undoubtedly have more of an opportunity with his hometown team — after a career 2022 season, he was lost in the shuffle a bit throughout the first seven games, and had just eight catches for 97 yards. He wasn’t targeted at all in the Browns’ loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.
But his exit should still manage to open up more opportunities for Tillman, who has been a healthy scratch for the last three games and who is his most obvious comp on the roster. He has just one reception for 5 yards this season, on three targets, all of which came against the Ravens in Week 4.
“He’s big, physical, ball skills,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “So he’s been working very hard, have not to date been able to get him going. And a lot of that becomes roster-based on who’s available. And you can only bring so many to the game. But he’s remained very diligent, works hard at it.”
It also could mean more opportunities for a player like second-year receiver David Bell.
He’s not a physical comp for Peoples-Jones — at 6-1 he’s gotten more work in the slot during his time in Cleveland — but his targets could be a chance to get multiple guys open. Both Tillman and Bell were selected in the third round by the Browns in the last two drafts, and neither has really gotten going in a sustainable way yet.
In a thinner receiver room last season, the Browns did rely on Bell fairly early on. He played 514 offensive snaps, and caught 24 passes on 32 targets for 214 yards. But after acquiring Elijah Moore in the offseason, Bell’s touches and chances have shifted. So far this season, Bell has played only 55 offensive snaps and has four catches on seven targets for 33 yards.
One of those four catches was pretty memorable, though: a 6-yard grab when the Browns were facing fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter in their thrilling Week 6 win over the 49ers. Bell’s catch helped keep the first of two field goal drives alive for Cleveland in the final minutes.
“I really don’t put too many goals on myself because I feel like that’s a limitation of what I can be,” Bell told cleveland.com “So I just go out there and play the best brand of football that I can, that I know that I can do. And whether it’s catching a fourth-and-5 or blocking or anything like that, any situation that I’m put in, I try to put my best foot forward. So throughout the season it’s a long season, so I guess we’ll just see what’s to know for it.”
Bell may have to wait a bit longer than Tillman for his opportunity though — he’s been a DNP the last two practices with a knee injury.
But like Bell, Tillman said he’s not trying to over-hype this opportunity for himself.
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