It was only three days of activity, and just one of those was open to the media, but wide receiver Antonio Callaway sure garnered a lot of positive buzz from the first week of Cleveland Browns OTAs.
The second-year wideout showed up in visibly better physical condition than a year ago, when he was a fourth-round rookie coming off a lengthy layoff after being suspended at Florida. Coach Freddie Kitchens made note of it following Wednesday’s session.
“He is in good shape relative to what he was in last year during training camp. He has added some explosiveness,” Kitchens said. “He has been catching the ball really well. He is doing a good job. Just like everybody else, he has to continue. It is what can you do for me tomorrow, not today; today is over. “
Quarterback Baker Mayfield also took note of Callaway’s progress,
If Callaway can become a more consistent threat, he offers a speedy dynamic to the outside that nobody else on the roster can match. He caught 9 passes for 114 yards and two TDs in his final two starts last year, but sandwiched those around a clunker of a game where he had more penalties (1) than catches (0) in Week 16.
Being in better shape, both physically and mentally, should help even out those peaks and valleys which pockmark Callaway’s game splits.
