Baker Mayfield after Duke Johnson shows up to training camp: 'We're good'
In an offseason brimming with excitement for the Browns, it hasn’t all been feel-good in Cleveland.
But Duke Johnson’s arrival at training camp Thursday appears to have abated some lingering stress.
The addition of Kareem Hunt to the roster in February created drama on multiple levels. In addition to the controversy over signing a man who was caught on video shoving and kicking a woman, Hunt’s arrival added to tension in the backfield.
Johnson wanted out after Hunt arrived
Johnson, looking at finding himself buried on the depth chart behind Nick Chubb and Hunt — when he returns from an eight-game suspension — is not pleased with his role on the team.
He demanded a trade that he wasn’t granted and drew the ire of quarterback Baker Mayfield in the process.
Baker Mayfield wasn’t pleased
“It's not awkward,” Mayfield said of Johnson finding himself in an awkward position during minicamp in June. “It's self-inflicted. It is what it is. That's not awkward for anybody else in this building. He's got to do his job. He said he's a professional, I hope he does his job.”
Johnson has since fired his agent and hired hard-ball specialist Drew Rosenhaus to represent him. But he was at camp on Thursday, and that’s good enough for Mayfield. In public at least.
Mayfield now: ‘We’re good’
"We addressed it,” Mayfield said, via ESPN. “We're good. We're here to do our job. He's here.
“Like I said, when it all came out, we want people that want to be here. He's here right now and that's important. I think that shows we're here to win.”
Mayfield took heat and reportedly prompted some veterans in the locker to speak with him over his appearing to side with management in a labor dispute. So there may not have been more criticism from Mayfield on the Johnson front regardless of whether he showed up for camp.
Browns maintain that Johnson won’t be traded
Head coach Freddie Kitchens and general manager John Dorsey stuck to their stance on Wednesday that the Browns have no intention of trading Johnson and that he will have a “significant” role in the offense, according to ESPN.
Dorsey told reporters that he met with Johnson, which led to his reporting to camp.
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