Berea, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Antonio Callaway has taken the bulk of his receiver reps with the second and third units.
It seemed a curious situation for a player that led the team in touchdown receptions a year ago and was fourth in catches and third in receiving yardage.
Even when Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. have their reps cut back for management purposes Callaway hasn’t been able to crack the starting unit, and now we know why.
“He came in a little bit out of shape probably – the last seven days he’s getting himself back in shape, putting himself in position, you can see that [he’s] starting to feel more comfortable and make plays,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said following Thursday’s practice. “I really like him. He really has tremendous upside, we all know that, you guys saw it last year. He’s explosive, has really good down-the-field ball-tracking ability, so there’s a lot to like there.
“It’s just he’s still a very young player in this league to go from a skill play to a wide receiver. He’s still developing himself as a wide receiver and developing the trust with the quarterbacks.”
The good news is that despite coming in out of shape, Callaway appears to have avoided the dreaded soft tissue injuries that tend to pop up early in camp.
“Luckily, he hasn't pulled anything,” Monken said. “He's been fine. Today was probably his best day in my opinion of what we saw, one on ones. One thing I really do like about AC is he's very coachable. He wants you to coach him. He wants you to hear what you have to say.
Whatever work Callaway has been doing to get into shape, it looks like it’s starting to pay dividends.
For the first time in camp, Callaway flashed, especially in the receiver vs. cornerback 1-on-1 drill that saw him make a few nice receptions Thursday morning.
“Antonio knows what was expected out of him and his best day was today,” head coach Freddie Kitchens said. “He does seem like he needed a little pushing, but he also knew what was expected out of him. So he came back and he’s worked his tail off for the last week and I think it’s showing up by him getting in better shape.”
Silly report – Monken finally got his opportunity to dispute an NFL Network report from Mike Silver that there were problems with the offensive installation earlier this spring forcing Kitchens to jump in and play a larger role.
"I don't even know really how to answer that other than for any assistant coach, your role is to do what the head coach asks you to do,” Monken said. “Whatever we do offensively, it's the Cleveland Browns offense. It's what we do. So there's not any place I've ever been where there's not differing opinions, you're building an offense, you're working through it. I don't know where that comes from. It really doesn't bother me because I know what we have in the building. It's not coming from my end.
“To me, it's been great. To me, when someone says Freddie's more involved, that's silly. I mean, he's the head coach and he's going to call the plays. I don't get that [report]. It makes no sense to me. When I was at Oklahoma State, guess who was involved? Mike Gundy. When I was at Tampa, guess who was involved? Dirk Koetter. It's silly -- absolutely silly."
Catch of the day Part I – Jarvis Landry made the catch of the day during WR v DB drills Thursday making an over-the-shoulder grab off the helmet of safety Damarious Randall.
Catch of the day Part II – Odell Beckham Jr. hauled in a beautiful throw from Baker Mayfield for a touchdown during an 11-on-11 drill. From inside the 10, Mayfield
Better response – The offense performed much better in situational drills Thursday than the day before.
With the ball at the 12, down five and 22 seconds on the clock, Mayfield quickly found Landry who was downed at the 2. On the next play Mayfield hit Nick Chubb for the touchdown.
The second-team offense saw backup QB Drew Stanton find Ishmael Hyman for a touchdown to end practice.
“I was happier today mainly because right now in this point in time, I am not worried about the success or nonsuccess of the play; I am worried about the understanding of us being a smart football team,” Kitchens said. “That is what I was very upset with yesterday is we have got to be a smart football team. Games are won and lost because you are not smart enough to recognize the situation, adjust to the situation and make a play accordingly, whatever that play may be.”
Special wish – C.J. DeJohn, a nine-year old Browns fan who has undergone three open heart surgeries and continues to recover from a stroke suffered during the third procedure, was a junior reporter for the day through A Special Wish.
DeJohn took note on practice from the sidelines and then interviewed general manager John Dorsey, Kitchens, quarterback Baker Mayfield, cornerback T.J. Carrie and several other players afterwards.
Kitchens flipped the script on DeJohn at the end of his press conference and tossed a few questions to C.J. before giving him a hug and then asking for his autograph.
Puppy pound counter – 10 puppies were adopted Thursday and 57 through seven practices. The partnership with the Northeast Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is in its fifth year and since its inception in 2015 has seen a total of 417 puppies find homes during Browns training camps.
Injury report – RB Trayone Gray (calf-NFI) and RB Kareem Hunt (groin-NFI), WR Damion Ratley (hamstring), RB Duke Johnson (hamstring), DB Donnie Lewis Jr. (foot), DE Genard Avery (ankle), DE Olivier Vernon (hamstring), DE Chad Thomas (illness), TE Demetrius Harris (concussion), TE Seth DeValve (concussion) and DT Sheldon Richardson (abdomen) did not practice.
Up next – Practice Friday 10 a.m.-12:25 p.m.
