BEREA, Ohio -- When the Cleveland Browns released the initial "unofficial" depth chart for the first preseason game of the season Sunday morning, Corey Coleman was listed as a starting wide receiver. Twelve hours later, Coleman was traded to the Buffalo Bills.

With Coleman gone and Josh Gordon still away from the team, the Browns will look at a number of possibilities at wide receiver to go along with Jarvis Landry.

"The demand is that much higher now for other guys to step up, for other guys to get opportunities to make plays and earn their keep," Landry said. "In the first team meeting, coach Hue [Jackson] said you have to earn what you get. Other guys have opportunities to do that now."

The top two guys who figure to get those opportunities are Antonio Callaway and Rashard Higgins.

For Callaway, his emergence in camp may have been one of the reasons the Browns found it easier to ship Coleman elsewhere. The 2018 fourth-round pick has not played a game since his sophomore season at the University of Florida in 2016 due to a suspension last season, but is ready to contribute.

"It opened up the door for me, more opportunities for me to show my abilities at the next level my first time," Callaway said. "I am just ready to play now."

Callaway averaged almost 16 yards per catch and had 1,399 yards receiving with 11 total touchdowns in his two seasons in Gainesville. But after missing an entire season and not seeing the field since the end of the 2016 campaign, there is still some rust to knock off.

"He has talent, I think we all know that," Jackson said. "But I think he is really starting to get the system, learning how to do things the way we want it done."

The 21-year-old Callaway has bounced back in training camp after missing minicamp with a groin injury, and his effort has not gone unnoticed by his veteran teammate at wide receiver.

"He continues to work hard," Landry said of Callaway. "He’s been bouncing around a little bit, position to position, but at the same time he has embraced it, and he keeps working hard every day and that’s all you can ask."

Higgins is coming off a 2017 season in which he had 27 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns. He has shown the ability in this year’s training camp to be a factor going forward in the Browns' offense.

"I feel like this is my chance," Higgins said. "I just want to make the most of it. Referring back to me being cut, I know that was last year, but I am just working day in and day out to not be in that predicament."

After being waived in September, Higgins appeared in 15 games in 2017 after the Browns signed him to the practice squad and then to the active roster before the second week of the regular season.

"I think the biggest thing he learned is how hard you have to work every day to secure an opportunity in the National Football League," Jackson said of Higgins. "I think the wake-up call for his was when he was released. And then he came back and he played his tail off."

The most intriguing option at wide receiver just might be Duke Johnson Jr.

Yes, the running back.

"I think I enjoy wideout," Johnson said on Monday. "And I have more fun playing wideout than I do running back."

There is no question that the fourth-year pro can catch the ball. Johnson led the Browns in receptions and receiving yards in 2017 with 74 catches and 693 yards receiving as a running back. By accumulating that many yards, he became just the second running back in NFL history to have 500-plus yards receiving in each of his first three seasons, joining Herschel Walker.

Wanting to play wide receiver isn’t just an off-the-cuff response from Johnson. He has been taking more reps in practice as a receiver, including learning the routes when split out wide rather than in the backfield.

"I have been working on it for a while now," Johnson said. "Some are harder than others, but for the most part, I can do most of the things."

According to Jackson, his running back is staying put in the backfield.

"Let me make this clear: Duke’s position won’t change," Jackson said. "That’s first and foremost. But will Duke get the opportunity to go out there as a back in our packages and play receiver? Yes, he will."

As for Gordon, some thought the trade of Coleman might mean an earlier return for the 2013 Pro Bowler. That doesn’t seem to be the case, however. When asked if they had heard anything about Gordon’s return, Landry took the answer in a different direction.

"I care about Josh more as a person than a player," Landry said. "So, whenever he is ready to come back, like we have been saying -- open arms."

With such an inexperienced group of wide receivers, especially with Gordon gone, the Browns could look to add a veteran to the group. One of the names that keeps coming up is former Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant. But if the answer is going to come from outside the organization, Jackson isn’t tipping his hand.

"We will always continue to search high and low to find whoever we think fits our receiver room that can help us get better," Jackson said.

For now, it looks like the two youngsters will get their opportunity to prove what they can do, starting with the Browns’ first preseason game against the New York Giants on Thursday night.