The last month hasn't been the easiest on Antonio Callaway, but he maintained his focus to be ready for his Week 5 debut.
That comes Monday night in San Francisco, and the second-year wide receiver said he's prepared for whatever kind of workload he's given.
"It was hard watching them play Sundays. It was hard, real hard," Callaway said after Friday's practice.
"It's go time. I'm ready."
That's how Browns coach Freddie Kitchens views the talented pass-catcher, who was simultaneously rehabbing a high ankle sprain near the end of the preseason and into the regular season while serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
"Callaway looks good," Kitchens said. "He needs to continue to try and build his endurance. There is a difference between endurance and in shape. He is in good shape, but endurance is being able to play play after play after play after play, and you need endurance more than anything in the game of football."
On top of his duties as a wide receiver, Callaway expects to receive some work on special teams as a returner on kicks and punts. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said he hopes to use Callaway in some capacity but wants to see him take a hit first.
"He has so much talent," Priefer said. "You have to be able to trust him back there. He has not been hit this year, but if he protects the ball like we have preaching to him since Day 1, then we would have a chance."
-- Wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who exited the league's concussion protocol Friday, said he'd always expected to return in time for Monday's game.
"It was a long process, even after the game and even during the game to go through the concussion protocol," Landry said. "I had never been through it before so I did not think I would even miss the rest of that game. I thought I would be back that game, but the NFL decided that it was best that I did not go back out there and go through the protocol first."
Landry has never missed a game since entering the NFL in 2014. He was a full participant in Friday's practice.
"Really glad to get him back," Kitchens said. "He is an integral part of the offense, and it is good to have him back. He looked like Jarvis."
-- Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken said he'd seen tight end Ricky Seals-Jones "coming on" in the days leading up to his breakout performance in Baltimore.
Seals-Jones, whom the Browns claimed via waivers from the Cardinals before the start of the season, caught his first touchdown pass with the Browns and finished with a career-best 82 yards.
"You are always looking for guys that you think can I would not say step up but take advantage of an opportunity when afforded to them. I thought he did that," Monken said. "We know he is athletic. As we continue, we have not had him here and did not have him in training camp so we are trying to integrate him more into the offense. It was nice to see another player step up and make plays."
-- Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks knows firsthand the kind of damage 49ers tight end George Kittle can wreak on a defense. As the head coach of the Cardinals last year, Wilks saw Kittle twice and came away feeling fortunate to have allowed a combined 10 catches for 140 yards.
Outside of a third-quarter touchdown to Mark Andrews, the Browns defense is coming off a performance at Baltimore where it largely bottled up the Ravens' tight-end focused attack. The challenge grows Monday.
"In my opinion, I think he is one of the best in the league," Wilks said. "He does so much from a standpoint of they put him out at the slot and they put him out at No. 1. Very athletic. Does a great job with YAC after the catch. He does a tremendous job making guys miss out in space and can take the top off. It is very difficult because he poses the elements just like a receiver once you put him out in space."
