Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds following loss to Chargers
By Dan Justik
Dud: Antonio Callaway
With the Browns not having either Rashard Higgins or Derrick Willies and having only four wide receivers active, the Cleveland offense needed Antonio Callaway to step up on Sunday. But Callaway struggled to capitalize on the extra attention in the offense.
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Callaway was targeted ten times on Sunday, catching only two passes for nine yards. He had an opportunity for a 40-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but he did not fight back to the ball in time, and the ball fell right between his arms as he attempted a diving catch.
Callaway has had issues with dropping passes this season, and that trend continued on Sunday. With the Chargers defense making nothing easy for Baker Mayfield, the receivers needed to make plays when they had an opportunity to do so. Callaway was actually making things more difficult for his quarterback.
Callaway has big-play potential, and he has the speed and agility to make things happen when he gets the ball in his hands. If he can cut back on the focus drops, there are reasons to be excited about his game.
But him dropping the ball is killing the Browns offense. With not many options at wide receiver, the Browns needed him to play well on Sunday. His drops killed momentum for the Browns offense, and had he caught the potential touchdown in the first quarter, there is a chance that the game would have been much closer.