The Philadelphia Eagles can save Antonio Callaway’s NFL career
With his future very much up in the air, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of the few NFL teams with the infrastructure to help save Antonio Callaway’s career.
Antonio Callaway‘s NFL career is at a crossroads.
A fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft following a tumultuous tenure in Gainsville – low-lighted by a season ban after using a stolen credit card at the school’s bookstore – Callaway is immensely talented on the field, but could soon find himself un-hireable like our old pal (and equally troubled cautionary tale) Dorial Green-Beckham.
Unfortunately, it feels like Callaway just can’t get out of his own way.
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For all of the on-field electricity he can bring to a team, as highlighted by 1,399 receiving yards on 89 catches at Florida, Callaway just keeps throwing up red flags – like testing positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine almost immediately after running a 4.41 40.
Add in even more controversy with an offseason citation for possession of marijuana while driving with a suspended license (more on that here), and it’s worth wondering if Callaway will ever be able to truly live up to his first-round-caliber god-given gifts.
I mean, if John Dorsey, the GM (in)famous for drafting and/or signing Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt gives up on a player they must be seriously damaged, right?
Well, maybe the Philadelphia Eagles can be the team that helps put Antonio Callaway’s life on the right path.
As anyone with even a cursory knowledge of football will surely attest, the Eagles wide receiving corps has been a disappointment all season – well, at least since Week 2 when DeSean Jackson went down with a season-ending abdominal injury.
But that isn’t why the Eagles should consider claiming Callaway off waivers.
No, despite Nelson Agholor‘s collapse in the slot, JJ Arcega-Whiteside‘s inability to get on the field and the unsurprising need to sign Jordan Matthews for a third stint in South Philly, (more on that here) Callaway’s receiving acumen really isn’t all that relevant at the moment.
Heck, baring a surprise turn of events, Callaway probably won’t play again this season, as he’s been hit with a 10-game suspension for taking a tainted CBD supplement. No, the Eagles should sign Callaway for the same reason they signed Michael Vick in 2009: To help get his life back in order.
Sure, if Callaway can straighten things up, it would be an absolute asset to the team moving forward, as the still-only-22-year-old has everything a general manager looks for in a certified number one receiver. I mean he’s fast, dynamic, and can make plays in the open field. Take the name off his jersey and all 32 teams would happily place a waiver claim on a player with his talents, but at what point does talent become irrelevant?
We may see soon enough.
If Callaway fails to make his next opportunity stick, he very well could be out of the league and searching for a new career before his 25th birthday – wasting legitimate Hall of Fame talent on a string of short-sighted gaffs.
Eagles desperately need Alshon Jeffery healthy enough to play Week 11. dark. Next
While the Philadelphia Eagles could use a player like Antonio Callaway as soon as their Week 11 bout against the New England Patriots – especially if Alshon Jeffery misses extended time with an ankle injury – the team could also use their strong locker room culture and extensive wealth of veteran leaders to help get the young Gator back on track – the rewards could very much be worth any risk associated with taking on what’s left of his four-year, $3.17 million deal.