BEREA, Ohio — At one point during the Browns’ first training camp practice, Baker Mayfield and Duke Johnson were seen slapping hands and laughing together.
At another point, Mayfield lasered a short pass to Johnson and he turned upfield to chants of “Duke! Duke!’’
It was just like old times, before Johnson asked to be traded and before Mayfield said during minicamp that the running back’s woes were ‘self-inflicted’ and that he didn’t like the way Johnson was handling his business.
“We addressed it," Mayfield said in his podium interview after practice. “Freddie (Kitchens) talked about it yesterday. We’re good."
After minicamp, NFL Network reported that several veterans and friends of Johnson’s approached Mayfield about his remarks and urged him to support his teammate.
“If we’re out here smiling ... we’re here to do our job,’’ Mayfield said. “He’s here. And like I said when it all came out, we want people that want to be here and he’s here right now and that’s important. I think that shows we’re here to win."
Did he feel the need to talk to him after minicamp?
“No,’’ Mayfield said. “We’re going to handle it like professionals. It is what it is.’’
Johnson got some work with the first team offense on Thursday, in part because Kareem Hunt is sidelined with a groin injury. He looked like his sure-handed, shifty self, and the fans embraced him.
Kitchens was adamant on Wednesday that the Browns have no plans for a trade.
“We’ve said from the very beginning that Duke is a Cleveland Brown,'' he said during the opening press conference Wednesday. “He’s going to be here, he’s going to have a role in our offense and he’s going to have a significant role in our offense. He’s a productive player. We’re not giving away good players.’’
If Mayfield and Johnson keep up like this, maybe he’ll want to stick around.
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