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Monday leftovers (Saturday edition)

It’s tempting to say no big loss after the news that Antonio Callaway will spend the first four games of the 2019 season as a spectator, guilty of violating the National Football League’s substance abuse policy.

It is also justified because the Browns have a strong and deep wide receivers room and the loss of the speedy Callaway does not put a crimp in the club’s style on offense.

Not with the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and a wealth of young receivers who have shown they belong and thus far appear ready to step up and contribute.

Derrick Willies, Ish Hyman, Jaelen Strong, Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi and D. J. Montgomery have played well enough to make the final roster decisions that much more difficult on the coaching staff.

Willies is a virtual lock to make the final 53 and at least one, possibly two, of the others will be gainfully employed with Strong and Sheehy-Guiseppi piling up significant early points.

Strong has caught just about everything thrown his way, while Sheehy-Guiseppi became an instant cult hero with an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown in the exhibition victory over Washington Thursday night.

The depth and quality of that depth will be a huge factor as coach Freddie Kitchens and his staff trim the roster. It’s the one position on the roster that can sustain losing someone like Callaway, who will not be missed.

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The right guard situation remains stagnant through the first exhibition. Why is it taking so long to determine who plays between center JC Tretter and right tackle Chris Hubbard?

Why can’t these guys make up their minds? This is not rocket science. What it appears to show is that no one has really stepped up, either in daily grind of training camp or the exhibition and the winner will be the lesser of two evils.

Eric Kush is a seven-year veteran of the NFL wars. Austin Corbett is trying to prove to Dorsey his selection at the top of the second round of the 2018 draft was not a mistake.

Right now, Kush appears to own the lead. What we don’t know is what kind of a lead that is. Is it tenuous and could evaporate with one bad game? Or is it getting stronger by the day? Kitchens said Kush had some good moments and some bad moments in the Washington game.

Corbett, meanwhile, played center for a majority of the game after Tretter and his first-team buddies exited following the opening series. Unless the Browns trade Tretter (that’s not going to happen), that’s the only time fans will see Corbett in the pivot.

What we also don’t know is who will start at right guard in Saturday’s exhibition in Indianapolis, which begs further questions. Like if it’s Corbett, does that reduce Kush’s chances? And if it is, what will he have to do pile up points?

Experimenting along the offensive line with three exhibitions left is a dangerous exercise. The line requires exquisite timing and rhythm to be effective. And you don’t get that by auditioning at one position.

If the starter at that position is still unsettled by the time of the home exhibition against Tampa Bay on Aug. 23, the so-called rehearsal game for the regular season when the starters play at least one half, that bodes ill for the immediate future.

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The kicking competition also remains unsolved with incumbent Greg Joseph and fifth-round draft choice Austin Seibert in a virtual tie for the job. No one has jumped out and declared he’s the man.

They’re still missing field goals in camp, although the number of misses is shrinking. Joseph did not do himself any favors by missing an extra point after Sheehy-Guiseppi’s punt return score.

All the Browns want is consistency. That appears to be too much to ask and it wouldn’t surprise to see Dorsey and his staff keeping a sharp out on kicking competitions elsewhere around the league.

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Now that the terms of the Duke Johnson Jr. trade to the Houston Texans have been revealed, kudos to General Manager John Dorsey for pulling off an absolute steal, a fleecing in broad daylight.

If Johnson is active for 10 of the Texans’ games this season, the fourth-round pick in next year’s college draft originally agreed to becomes a third-rounder.

There is no question Johnson will prosper in a Texans offense that needs his type of talent. But to get a third rounder for someone who would have been tethered to the Cleveland bench most of the time is at best a win-win for both teams.

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Kitchens promised the Browns would run the ball more this season. It didn’t look like it in the Redskins game with 45 dropbacks to pass as opposed to 23 called runs. It’s still too early to see if that’s a trend, but something to keep an eye on.

When you have someone as lethal as quarterback Baker Mayfield, it’s understandable to favor the passing game. Just seems a little odd the coach would publicly place more emphasis on the ground game.

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Finally . . . One aspect of the offense that displeased Kitchens was protecting the football. Fumbles by Dontrell Hilliard and Hyman stuck out. Both occurred deep in the red zone, Hilliard’s at the Washington one-yard line. Balancing that were the four takeaways by the defense. . . . Among the standouts on defense off the bench were tackle Devaroe Lawrence, cornerback Juston Burris, linebackers Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson and safeties Sheldrick Redwine and Jermaine Whitehead; on offense, wideouts Hyman and Montgomery and quarterback Garrett Gilbert stood out. . . . It looks as though Britton Colquitt has a decided edge over rookie Jamie Gillan in their punting duel. It will be interesting if the Browns think enough of the Scottish Hammer to place him on the practice squad.