As soon as the Cleveland Browns released veteran wideout Cedric Tillman last week, everyone was expecting the Atlanta Falcons to pounce. He spent the last three years being coached by Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, so reuniting on a WR-needy Falcons team made too much sense on paper.
However, it wasn't the Falcons who ended up taking a flier on the former third-round pick. For some odd reason, Tillman was never considered for Atlanta's active roster or even the practice squad after the cut deadline--but he ended up getting an opportunity from one of Stefanski's new division rivals.
Tillman signed to the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints, who beat Stefanski to the punch here. He would've been a really good fit for a Falcons team looking for more outside receiver help and they probably should've kicked the tires on signing him--especially given the team he ended up with.
The New Orleans Saints signed Cedric Tillman before the Falcons could
The 6-foot-3, 215 pound WR would've offered Atlanta another threat to win on the outside beyond Drake London and Jahan Dotson--and as the WR5 or WR6, that would've been worth it. And signing a true red zone threat who's skillset Kevin Stefanski knows how to utilize isn't a decision to overthink.
As a depth wideout, the 26-year-old is as good as it gets. It's not often you can find a pass-catcher with 71 receptions for 833 yards and five career touchdowns (across just three seasons) available in free agency. And it's not like earlier this offseason when they were being floated in trade rumors for him. Signing him wouldn't have cost any draft capital.
The sad part about this is that the Dirty Birds could've signed Tillman much sooner, but it doesn't appear they were very interested. So they're probably the reason they led the former Tennessee standout into the arms of the Saints--because if Stefanski called, he definitely would've picked up.
Instead, the Falcons stayed content with what they had. After rostering only five receivers, they brought back released wideouts Vinny Anthony II, Dylan Drummond, and Juice Wells Jr. on the practice squad, so it's not like they really needed to be super desperate to bring in another receiver.
Meanwhile, the Saints--who placed Jordyn Tyson on IR-- have only four wide receivers on the active roster: Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, and rookies Bryce Lance and Barrion Brown. There was more of an opportunity to get elevated the active roster in New Orleans, so Tillman's rationale makes sense.
Choosing playing time over a chance to reunite with Kevin Stefanski makes sense from Cedric Tillman's perspective, but the Atlanta Falcons could have made this a lot simpler--yet chose not to.
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