Duke Johnson is on the move -- from his agent.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Cleveland Browns running back moved on from his previous representation, Kristin Campbell of 40 Sports & Entertainment Group, and is currently without an agent.
Normally players changing agents wouldn't be notable, but given that Johnson has unsuccessfully lobbied for a trade from the Browns, the move is an interesting choice for the pass-catching back.
Johnson's desire to leave Cleveland after the Browns signed Kareem Hunt, who is serving an eight-game suspension to open the season, caused some minicamp waves in the locker room that the team hopes will blow over by the time training camp opens later this month.
After Baker Mayfield's criticism of Johnson, Campbell's husband, Luther Campbell (famously known as Uncle Luke from 2 Live Crew), had some harsh words for the QB in defending Johnson.
The Browns have expressed little desire to trade Johnson at this stage. Given Hunt's suspension, and the makeup of most teams at this time of the year, it's likely the Cleveland brass wouldn't get desirable compensation at this point. A likelier time for a deal could come during roster cuts, or even more likely, nearer the trade deadline, Oct. 29 (before Week 9 -- the Browns will have played seven games).
It's unclear at this point whether the split with Campbell is about his trade request, and it's questionable whether new representation could help engineer a trade to acquiesce Johnson's desires. In any case, Johnson's offseason just took another interesting shift down the turnpike.
