CLEVELAND -- Is Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway ready for an expanded role within the offense?
Well, according to his teammates, Callaway sure better be, especially with this week being a short one as the Browns are set to host the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium in front of a nationwide audience on Thursday Night Football.
“Absolutely, he ain’t got no choice,” wide receiver Jarvis Landry said. “But he’s definitely a guy that we’re going to count on, we’re going to lean on. We know he can make plays and Sunday was a prime example of that, and given more opportunities, I’m sure he’ll make more plays.”
Callaway may be only two games into his career, but the speedy pass catcher is expecting to have an expanded role within the offense after the team traded Josh Gordon to the New England Patriots Monday, especially after last week’s showing against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Needing a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to tie the game against the Saints, the Browns faced a fourth-and-five from their opponent’s 47-yard line and quarterback Tyrod Taylor trusted both his arm strength and Callaway’s speed.
Taylor aired out a throw over the middle of the field and found Callaway behind the coverage of a New Orleans defensive back in stride in the middle of the end zone for the game-tying touchdown with 1:16 remaining in regulation.
Callaway finished the game with a team-best 81 yards on just three receptions.
“I thought he was throwing it to me, and I was like, ‘Damn, this is too far,’ and then, I peeked outside and I saw Callaway,” Landry said. “Then, I saw him put his head down and dig again, and he made the catch.
“That was definitely another gear.”
Landry believes Callaway’s catch against the Saints will be a confidence booster not only for him, but also, for Taylor, who has, at times, struggled to move the ball down the field during the first two weeks of the regular season.
“It does everything,” Landry said. “It does a lot, obviously, for the guys around him, but it does a lot for the coaches and it does a lot for five (Taylor), and that’s something, as an offense, we need, so it’s awesome.
“He’s another threat. He becomes that much more dangerous.”
The Browns believe Callaway has learned from lessons of the past, which include multiple off-field incidents at the University of Florida and being caught driving with a suspended license in training camp, will seize his opportunity.
“We definitely want Callaway to make more plays like that, but do it consistently,” running back Duke Johnson said. “Coach Haley calls it yo-yos. You don’t want to be a yo-yo. You want to be a guy that’s consistent every day. Just push and try to be that.”
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