Antonio Callaway was a surprise as a healthy scratch for the Cleveland Browns in Week 10. Callaway had been firmly entrenched as the No. 3 wideout behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry for the last several weeks.
In fact, Callaway led the Browns WRs in red zone targets through the first eight games. The second-year wideout had done very little to prove he was deserving of those opportunities, however. His infamous juggle directly into the hands of 49ers CB K’Waun Williams is the epitome of the Browns’ terrible start to 2019.
Benching Callaway paid some immediate dividends. Jarvis Landry scored a touchdown on the team’s opening drive with a red zone TD on a target that might have been to Callaway instead.
It also showed in the blocking department. Seldom-used KhaDarel Hodge threw a beautiful block on a Nick Chubb edge run. That’s not a play Callaway makes.
Where it really paid off was on the game-winning TD. Rashard Higgins, oddly exiled behind Callaway since his return from injury, ran a picture-perfect route to get wide open in the end zone. Baker Mayfield trusted him right away and delivered a well-timed strike.
This isn’t to pile on Callaway. He showed legit promise during the second half of his rookie season and still has the tantalizing physical tools. But right now he’s not one of the best five wide receivers on the Cleveland Browns, and his attention to detail is lacking. Kudos to Freddie Kitchens for making the tough call to sit Callaway. It wasn’t an easy decision but it was the right one. And it paid off handsomely.
