Understandably, quarterback Baker Mayfield is less than thrilled with Johnson’s stance which was made abundantly clear prior to Tuesday’s first practice of the three-day minicamp.
“Obviously, he’s going to handle his stuff how he wants but you’re either on this train or you’re not,” Mayfield said. “It’s moving. You can either get out of the way or you can join us.”
Mayfield was asked about the situation being awkward for Johnson, who participated in a practice for the first time this offseason, but only because it was mandatory.
“It’s not awkward,” Mayfield said. “It’s self-inflicted. It is what it is. It’s not awkward for anybody in this building.”
Johnson remains a Brown – for now – and Mayfield’s expectations remain unchanged while the disgruntled back remains with the team.
“He’s got to do his job,” Mayfield said. “He said he’s a professional. I hope he does his job.”
“You’re either with us or against us,” Mayfield said. “Wish him the best.”
Had McCoy signed he would’ve become the fourth Pro Bowl defensive linemen on the roster joining Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson.
“I’m fine with the guys we have here,” Garrett said. “I’m definitely confident about the men we have in our room right now. Gerald McCoy of course would have been a good addition to the team, but I like the chemistry we built over this time. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
McCoy was released by Tampa Bay on May 20 and he visited the Browns four days later.
“We want people that want to be here, we want people that want to be here for the right reasons,” head coach Freddie Kitchens said. “Gerald made the best decision that he felt was best for him and his family and I wish Gerald nothing but the best. But if there’s any reservation at all, we don’t want anybody to be here.
“We don’t want any reservation, alright, about trying to convince somebody to come here because what we’re about to do it’s not for everybody. What we’re gonna attempt to do is not for everybody. It’s gonna take a lot of hard work and then we’ll see where we’re at.”
Receiver Jarvis Landry did not practice Tuesday and it doesn’t look like he’ll be on the field this week due to an undisclosed injury.
“I'm not going to disclose what's going on, but something that we're all on top of,” Landry said Tuesday. “I can be able to participate, but something that we thought we'll take a little bit of time and not participate.”
Landry said surgery is not required for whatever is ailing him and he will be ready for training camp.
“Nobody wants to talk about our defense,” Kitchens said, “but do we want to talk about Myles Garrett? Want to talk about Larry Ogunjobi? Want to talk about Olivier Vernon? What about Sheldon Richardson? What about our two [linebackers] we drafted [Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson]. What about our two corners and our safety? Let’s talk about our defense a little bit because they are pretty damn good, too, or they are going to be.”
“I have not got to the bottom of it yet. Missed a flight,” Kitchens said. “I know he missed a flight. I do not know what time he got here so it is hard to tell how he got here.”