Tag: Antonio Callaway

The Browns Wire Podcast: Browns schedule, Antonio Callaway and more

The Browns Wire Podcast breaks down the schedule release, Antonio Callaway ruining the XFL, the CFL and more

Welcome to The Browns Wire Podcast, hosted by Josh Keatley (@JoshKeatley16). This week Adam Moore (@Moore2102) and I discuss former Browns receiver, Antonio Callaway popping up in the news, the CFL season and the Browns schedule.

It’s also available on all of your favorite podcast apps, including iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher and Spotify. Thanks for listening!

Music provided by Good Reverend.

[protected-iframe id=”9de47c2c1dac1dc526fad7a63aa2008f-105974707-80829973″ info=”https://omny.fm/shows/the-browns-wire-podcast/the-browns-wire-podcast-antonio-callaway-back-in-t/embed?style=cover” width=”100%” height=”180″ frameborder=”0″]

Antonio Callaway signing cited as the reason why the XFL fired its commissioner

Troubled former Browns WR Antonio Callaway was cited in legal documents by Vince McMahon for justifying his firing Oliver Luck from the XFL

The XFL 2.0 recently folded in large part due to the COVID-19 situation, but founder Vince McMahon apparently feels that a larger portion of the blame deserves to be on the shoulders of the league’s commissioner. McMahon fired commissioner Oliver Luck before the league folded. This led to a lawsuit being filed by Luck for wrongful termination.

At this point in the process, McMahon has stated to the U.S. District Court of Connecticut that he did in fact have a list of justifiable reasons to fire their commissioner. The biggest reason is his handling of the COVID-19 situation, but a surprising reason that was listed was the league’s signing of former Cleveland Browns receiver, Antonio Callaway.

McMahon made a point of claiming that the XFL would not sign players with checkered pasts. The WWE chairman is stating that Luck never informed him of Callaway’s past before signing him to a pretty large — by league standards — $125,000 bonus. To make matters worse, after Callaway was signed and allocated by the Tampa Bay Vipers, he immediately suffered an ACL tear before the first game. This resulted in even more funds being spent due to surgery and medical payments.

The Browns drafted the troubled Florida wide receiver in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. This was one of the more interesting selections of that class. Callaway had more talent than his draft slot would indicate, but due to a plethora of off-field incidents ranging from sexual assault to drugs was still available in round four.

Former Cleveland GM John Dorsey was the brains behind the selection of Callaway and at first, the controversial pick paid off. Callaway quickly snagged the No. 3 spot in the receiving corps, but the shine rapidly started to fade. Callaway reported to camp the next season overweight and showed up to numerous meetings late, which led to his eventual release.

[lawrence-related id=46029]

Report: Antonio Callaway faces 10-game suspension for another failed drug test

Report: Antonio Callaway faced 10-game suspension when Browns cut him

New details have come to light that help explain why Browns GM John Dorsey pulled the plug on wide receiver Antonio Callaway. Per a report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, which has since been confirmed by others, Callaway is facing a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy.

Callaway previously served a four-game suspension at the start of his rookie year for a violation. He was inactive for the Week 10 game against Buffalo for being late for a required attendance.

Week 11 Fantasy Preview: Browns vs Steelers

Week 11 Fantasy Preview: Browns vs Steelers

How should fantasy football players handle the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers? Is Kareem Hunt worth starting? What about Baker Mayfield or Mason Rudolph?

The Matchup

Since the acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick, safety, the Steelers defense has been why the Steelers have won games. The defensive unit been opportunistic and applies pressure on opposing defenses from all levels of the field. Additionally, the defense has not allowed the sins of their offense to penalize the team on their four-game winning streak. Especially when the offense has gone three consecutive weeks turning the ball over on their opening drive.

While the defense has been great, I will ask this question of everyone reading this: “who have the Steelers played!?”

In Week 10 the Steelers played the broken down L.A. Rams coming to the east coach. Week 9 saw the Steelers knock Jacoby Brissett out early and go against Brian Hoyer for the majority of the game. The Week 8 Miami Dolphins put up a fight for the first half and then completely lost offensive momentum to sustain a lead. Finally, the Week 6 Chargers were led by Phillip Rivers’ strong two-interception game and Melvin Gordon trying to knock off the rust from a lengthy holdout.

What about the opposing weapons? They have to be better against this new age “Steel Curtain”, right? The media is clamoring about how great the Steelers defense is. They must have shut down amazing levels of talent on the opposing side of the field. In Week 10 the Steelers did a great job shutting down Cooper Kupp for the first time all season. The Rams also didn’t have Brandin Cooks and have dealt with significant injuries to their offensive line recently.

The Colts have been putting a band-aid on their pass-catchers with TY Hilton out. Their keynote wide receiver has been Zach Pascal. The Miami Dolphins were running out the dynamic combination of Preston Williams and DeVante Parker. I bet this defensive secondary would do great against the wide receivers in the Washington Redskins or the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This should not be a shock to anyone after reading the above information. The Browns may be the best offense the Steelers have faced since their Week 5 opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.

Baker Mayfield

The Steelers have on average allowed 216 passing yards and 1.7 passing touchdowns over their last three games, which includes a zero touchdown game from Jared Goff. While this is a small sample size, I think Jared Goff’s meltdown can really make their defense look better than it really is. Baker Mayfield should be considered a top-15 quarterback in a decent matchup at home.

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt

I am lumping these two together because there are still a lot of questions about total opportunity splits between these two. Week 10 saw Kareem Hunt earn 13 opportunities to touch the ball (9 targets and 4 rushes) and Nick Chubb saw 24 opportunities (20 rushes and 4 targets). It is still too early to say if those numbers will shift dependent on game script or hot hand. I would be willing to consider both FIRMLY in the top-24 conversation and Hunt would also be a great FLEX play.

Odell Beckham Jr.

In Week 10 Beckham earned his highest number of targets of the season and his first double-digit target game since Week 6 against the Seahawks. Additionally, the voluminous target share came in a negative matchup against one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. In Week 11, OBJ draws former Browns cornerback Joe Hayden. This may be the softest cornerback matchup OBJ has seen since Week 6 against the Seahawks when he erupted for his first 100-yard game of the season. This Week 11 matchup has the makings of a breakout game for Odell Beckham Jr. He should be considered a top-5 option on the week.

Jarvis Landry

There is no doubt Jarvis Landry is the best wide receiver on the Cleveland Browns right now. He is a leader with his game play and how he works on the sideline. For fantasy teams, Jarvis Landry is a steady WR2. He will get you exactly what you were hoping for from the position and show up every week. I would have no worries about getting him into your lineup.

Biggest question

I don’t know if Antonio Callaway is out of the doghouse or if Rashard Higgins will be given his opportunity to play more. I would love to see Higgins on the field because of his undeniable connection with Baker Mayfield and his route running ability. I would not trust either one in my lineup.

Update: Callaway has been cut. 

Eagles could have interest in WR Antonio Callaway after release from Browns

The Philadelphia Eagles could have interest in wide receiver Antonio Callaway after his release from the Browns

The Philadelphia Eagles have a need for speed on the outside, and the Cleveland Browns just got rid of a wide receiver with plenty of it. On Thursday, the Browns released wide receiver Antonio Callaway.

A perceived problem child, Callaway served a four-game suspension to start the season after a violation of the league’s policy and program for substances of abuse.

The former Florida Gators star is talented, which is why Browns general manager John Dorsey took a risk on him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, despite Callaway’s past off-field transgressions.

According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, Callaway had run of chances in Cleveland.

They say culture makes a locker room, and his struggles in Cleveland could easily be reversed in a locker room that offers quality leadership and accountability, while also being one of the gold standard organizations in the NFL.

Callaway will have to go through the waiver process, but he could definitely be an option for Howie Roseman and the Eagles.

Callaway has eight catches for 89 yards in four games (two starts) in 2019.

****

Update:

The Eagles and other teams around the league are likely to pass on Callaway after Ian Rapoport just reported that the former Browns wideout is facing a 10-game suspension.

Browns activate rookie OL Drew Forbes, waive WR Antonio Callaway

Browns activate rookie OL Drew Forbes, waive WR Antonio Callaway

[jwplayer rzKgNnfu-ThvAeFxT]

John Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns made a surprising roster move just hours before the Browns’ Thursday night date in Week 11 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns activated rookie offensive lineman Drew Forbes from injured reserve and waived wide receiver Antonio Callaway.

Forbes was designated to return after being placed on IR with a knee injury following the final roster cuts. The team had to activate him by tonight or else he would have reverted to IR.

Cutting Callaway rids the Browns of an unreliable but physically talented player. He was inactive in Week 10 after he missed a meeting. The second-year wideout has tested Dorsey’s patience several times with dropped passes, missed assignment and off-field issues that include two police interactions since he arrived in Cleveland. The Browns selected Callaway out of Florida in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft.

[lawrence-related id=36594]

5 big plays from the Browns’ Week 10 win vs. Buffalo

Not everything was positive but there were some great highlights too

What moments stood out from the Browns’ big 19-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 10?

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt usage

Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were used on over 50% of the Cleveland Browns offensive snaps in Week 10 against the Bills. In this play, not only are both runners on the field, but Kareem Hunt delivers a block to help establish Nick Chubb’s cut back lane for a great run.

Jarvis Landry great catch for a touchdown

Landry has been the best and most reliable wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. On this play, Landry makes a great hands catch extending his arms away from his body. After the play, Landry was called for a taunting penalty and Austin Seibert ultimately missed the field goal. This was a great play and also a reminder to not let yourself get caught up in the heat of the moment.

Rashard Higgins game-winning touchdown

Browns fans have been rooting for Higgins to get more playing time and he did. Higgins finished Week 10 with 47% of the offensive snaps. While this was a great catch and I enjoyed seeing Higgins on the field, I also wonder if he would have been on the field if Antonio Callaway wouldn’t have been benched (click here for the full story). I will be watching closely to see if Higgins’ usage continues to trend up or if Callaway returns to the field and supplants Higgins.

Baker Mayfield safety

One of my biggest concerns with Baker Mayfield is his ability to get the ball out on time and this play perfectly outlines why. While the play design is horrible and there should have been a runner in the backfield with pass protection duties, it is also on the quarterback to deliver the ball when his back foot hits on the three-step drop. Mayfield double clutches and tries to scan the field for another option. If the ball was thrown on time, it could have been thrown away. Instead, Mayfield tries to make “the big play” and takes a safety.

Incredible Jarvis Landry catch to set up the game-winning score

As mentioned earlier, Landry has been the best wide receiver for the Browns in 2019. This play shows not only great concentration, but also his ability to adjust to the ball in the air. While we shouldn’t dwell on Odell Beckham uncovering himself in the deep middle or Kareem Hunt being wide open on the right side of the field, the catch was great and set up the game-winning touchdown to Rashard Higgins.