Sky-high hopes for the Cleveland Browns in 2019 lie on the shoulders of Baker Mayfield more than anyone else in the locker room. Just because his level of talent and status as the team's franchise quarterback lends him leadership credence, though, doesn't mean teammates won't call Mayfield out when they see fit.
According to Michael Silver of NFL Network, multiple Browns players sought out Mayfield to voice disapproval about his recent comments on running back Duke Johnson, who reiterated his request for a trade at mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. The good news? Mayfield and his teammates were able to “hash out their differences.”
As I just stated on @nflnetwork: According to multiple sources, several veteran Browns players approached Baker Mayfield in the locker room after the young QB's critical comments about RB Duke Johnson to register their displeasure, and they hashed out their differences.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) June 13, 2019
Earlier this month, Mayfield was asked whether it was “awkward” for he and his teammates to be around Johnson during offseason training.
“It's self-inflicted,” he said, per Hayden Grove of Cleveland.com. “It is what it is. It's not awkward for anybody else in this building.”
When asked if he still supported Johnson as a teammate, Mayfield was more dismissive.
“He's gotta do his job. He said he's a professional. I hope he does his job.”
Reports of Johnson's trade request first surfaced in early April. A four-year veteran, he's been one of the Browns' consistent playmakers throughout his career, but notched personal-lows in rushes and catches last season as rookie Nick Chubb asserted himself as one of the most dynamic young backs in football. In February, Cleveland added free agent running back Kareem Hunt, who starred for the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie and throughout the first three months of last season before being waived after video of him assaulting a woman in February 2018 was made public.
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