BEREA, Ohio -- When opportunity knocks in the National Football League, it does not wait long for an answer.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway may be only two games into his career, but the speedy pass catcher is expecting to have an expanded role within the offense after the team traded Josh Gordon to the New England Patriots Monday.
“It’s the National Football League, so I’ve got to step up,” Callaway said Tuesday.
PHOTOS | Antonio Callaway knows it is time to 'step up' for Cleveland Browns
Callaway showed plenty of speed on the field during the preseason, but went without a pass thrown in his direction during the 21-21 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.
However, with the Browns deactivating Gordon the day before the game because of a hamstring injury, Callaway made the most of his opportunities, hauling in three passes for a team-best 81 yards and one touchdown in Sunday’s 21-18 loss to the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
“Another game, take it step-by-step and day-by-day,” Callaway said. “I’m ready.”
Needing a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to tie the game against the Saints, the Browns faced a fourth-and-five from their opponent’s 47-yard line and quarterback Tyrod Taylor trusted both his arm strength and Callaway’s speed.
Taylor aired out a throw over the middle of the field and found Callaway behind the coverage of a New Orleans defensive back in stride in the middle of the end zone for the tying touchdown.
“You want to see someone other than the people that you know that is going to start to elevate himself and start making plays for you,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “He was able to do that. That was a huge play. I am sure that you guys went back and watched it. For him to go and track that ball down like he did, wow. He can run.
“I did (watch the replay) about five times because each time, it was like he was getting faster at the end. The burst to go get the ball was phenomenal. It was good. Obviously, it was a heck of a play. Hell of a throw and a heck of a catch.”
With Gordon no longer in the organization, Callaway is confident he “can do a lot” to help the Browns’ offense move down the field, and the coaching staff believes the first-year pass catcher is on pace to be a difference-maker as the regular season continues, starting with Thursday’s game against the New York Jets.
“He is making strides,” Jackson said. “Obviously, the catch to tie the game last week is a confidence booster for any young player. I think that he was always coming on.
“We were not trying got push him to fast, not give him too much too fast. Now, he has to take it all. It is time. I think that he will do well. He has always competed hard, and he always works at it. It is another step for him. This Thursday night will be good for him.”
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