Rashard Higgins is primed to take over Cleveland Browns No. 3 WR job

Who would be the Cleveland Browns No. 3 wide receiver was expected to be an intriguing battle during camp, but Rashard Higgins seems to have taken over.

Cleveland Browns loaded up their wide receiver corps over the past two seasons with the additions of Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Antonio Callaway. Rashard Higgins is one of the few leftovers from the previous regime, but has become a valuable member to the offense.

Those four receivers are virtually guaranteed to make the 2019 roster, but how their roles would be sorted out was one a question that would be figured out during training camp.

However, with Beckham and Landry practically guaranteed to be the top receivers on the depth chart, it was uncertain who would be the third primary receiver in the Browns offense, with Higgins and Callaway expected to be main receivers battling for the role.

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Callaway received a lot of credit from the coaching staff, and even Baker Mayfield, during the offseason program for being better prepared for the season. And with his ability to be a vertical threat and stretch the field with his speed, he seemed to be a perfect match for the Freddie Kitchens and Todd Monken offense.

But Callaway has struggled during the first week of training camp and has been relegated to working primarily with the second-team, even when Beckham or Landry are only playing limited reps. Monken said after Thursday’s practice that Callaway came to camp out of shape, which may explain his current role. Kitchens explained after Wednesday’s practice that Callaway still has work to do to become a reliable receiver in the NFL – via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

"“He needs to keep getting better,’’ Kitchens said. “He needs to keep deciphering the coverages and his reads accordingly, and he needs to be consistent catching the ball and running routes, and he will get to where he is wanting to go.” – Kitchens via Cleveland.com"

Callaway’s inconsistency at the start of training camp has allowed Higgins to get most of the first-team reps as the No. 3 wide receiver. And one of Higgins’ best ability is his consistency and always being a reliable target for Mayfield, so it could be a role that he keeps the rest of camp.

Higgins may not be making spectacular catches all over the field during camp, but he seems to always put himself in a position to make a play. And because he built great chemistry with Mayfield during the 2018 campaign, Mayfield can trust Higgins will be where he needs to be and let Mayfield make throws into tight windows, knowing Higgins can make the play.

Callaway reportedly had his best day of camp during Thursday’s practice and made several plays over the course of the day. But after having a slow start to camp, Callaway will need to string multiple strong practices together in order to close back in on Higgins as the No. 3 receiver.

With Higgins being a consistent play-maker, it could be difficult for Callaway to overtake him as the No. 3 receiver. It is clear after the first week of camp Higgins has the upper hand to be the third receiver when the regular season starts.