Cedric Tillman welcomes a bigger role in the Browns' offense

With the trade of WR Amari Cooper, which the Browns sent to the Bills on October 15, the question arose as to which of the Browns pass catchers would step in and fill the target share left by the receiver.

In Week 7, it was WR Cedric Tillman who had a career performance with eight receptions for 81 yards on 12 targets. Tillman accounted for 82 percent of the offensive snaps on Sunday, nearly doubling his participation in any other game this season.

Tillman was targeted early and often on Sunday. He caught each of QB Deshaun Watson's first two pass attempts of the day and continued to score throughout the game. Only TE David Njoku had more targets and receptions than Tillman on Sunday.

“I just wanted to go out there and play the best ball I could,” Tillman said. “And what that meant was focusing on the details and trying to be in the right place to play for my team and give 100 percent. So, that’s exactly what I focused on.”

After Watson left the game with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson came into the game. The Browns found themselves at Cincinnati's 23-yard line with less than 90 seconds left in the first half, facing a 7-0 deficit.

Tillman, who was Thompson-Robinson's teammate in high school, sprinted downfield toward the end zone and drew a pass interference penalty that set up RB Nick Chubb's second-quarter touchdown.

“It's not hard to get along with someone when you've known them practically three-quarters of your life,” Thompson-Robinson said after the game about his connection with Tillman. “So, I just play pitch and catch with him. I know where he will be. I know how he likes to run his routes. I know he's a bigger-bodied receiver who likes to play big. I think that's pretty easy to say that me and (Cedric) have a good connection.”