Cedric Tillman is on waivers. Five teams that should put in a claim (plus one bonus)

The Browns cut their 2023 third-round receiver on Thursday, and because he's still inside his rookie deal, he goes on waivers, where all 31 other teams will get a chance to put in a claim.

Every potential team will have to weigh his health, though. He barely played in the preseason, and Zac Jackson of The Athletic pointed out that Tillman "wasn't even on the bubble this summer" and that while someone will give him a look, health "has been an issue." When he has been out there he's shown some flashes. Realistically, he's a WR3 or WR4 who could push for WR2 duty on a receiver-needy team, which is exactly why several clubs should be interested.

With the claim window open, here are the five landing spots that make the most sense, plus one bonus team that could be a dark horse.

1. Las Vegas Raiders — the clearest path to snaps

Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor have the top two spots locked down for now, and the room behind them is young and thin on proven production after the Jakobi Meyers trade.

If healthy, Tillman could push for WR3 snaps in that offense. For a 6-foot-3 target with starting experience available at waiver cost, that's a reasonable bet for a team still figuring out its depth chart.

2. New Orleans Saints — need meets the calendar

The Saints were already light at receiver before camp. Then Jordyn Tyson, their talented young pass-catcher, pulled a hamstring in joint practice and landed on the shelf for roughly two months, with injured reserve a real possibility. Chris Olave has been excellent in camp by all accounts from the Saints' beat, but behind him it's unproven names fighting for backup reps.

Tyler Shough closed last season with a heavy enough passing workload that the Saints' third receiver actually saw the ball, so this isn't a ceremonial depth-chart spot. For a team staring at a Tyson-sized hole until October, a zero-cost waiver claim is the exact kind of bandage worth applying.

3. Miami Dolphins — unproven and young

Miami is rebuilding, and it shows. The new staff has been patching holes with waiver claims and camp fliers, and the offense has had its rocky stretches in camp, enough that coordinator Bobby Slowik has leaned on Malik Willis to settle the group. The back end of the receiver chart is soft. They claimed Ryan Miller off waivers from the Giants and cut Tahj Washington, which tells you how unsettled that room is

While writing this piece, the Dolphins traded Tutu Atwell to the Rams. He was supposed to be the veteran presence in a young room, and now that presence is gone. The Dolphins have bodies at receiver, but they're all young guys with little experience. Tillman would slide into one of the least proven depth charts in the league, and on a team this young, a reclamation project with real NFL starts costs nothing and might actually play.

4. New York Giants — a hole opened this week

The Giants lost slot receiver Calvin Austin III for the year on a torn ACL, a non-contact injury in practice days before cutdowns, after what had been a strong summer. They signed Kobe Prentice to fill the roster spot, but that's a camp body, not an answer. Austin's injury also nudged the door open for Odell Beckham Jr. to stick, and Tillman fits in that same conversation rather than blocking it.

A young former third-rounder with inside-outside versatility is exactly the kind of low-risk claim worth making, and Malik Nabers isn't the question. The rest of the depth chart is wide open.

5. Houston Texans — the need that already got filled

Houston looked like the obvious fit on paper: WR2 Jayden Higgins tore his ACL in joint practice and is done for the year. But the Texans moved first. They signed Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard, then traded for Kayshon Boutte, and DeMeco Ryans called Boutte "a big get for us." Xavier Hutchinson is lined up for the bump in role.

So this one is probably closed. If Houston wanted a big-bodied depth guy, Tillman is free for the taking, but the smarter bet is they ride with the room they just built. A week ago this would have been the top spot.

Bonus: Philadelphia Eagles — the Roseman special

Here's the one nobody will see coming until it's done. Howie Roseman has never met a waiver claim he didn't at least consider, and with A.J. Brown gone. Dontayvion Wicks has stepped up and is clearly the No. 2 now, and rookie Makai Lemon will be WR3 if his hamstring lets him play after costing him most of the preseason. Beyond that, the backup situation is up in the air.

Tillman's appeal here isn't volume. It's size. Philadelphia's depth is small and quick, and a 6-foot-3 body who can win on the boundary and in the red zone is exactly the kind of piece this group lacks. Roseman's front office runs on a simple instinct: grab ascending or proven-ish talent when it's free and sort it out later. No trade capital, no draft pick, just a claim. It's the kind of move that looks like nothing in August and quietly pays off in November when someone gets hurt, because stranger depth-chart bets have won them games before.