Browns QB Baker Mayfield Shades Vikings DL Sheldon Richardson

Getty Images Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.

Baker Mayfield is always up for some good-natured trash talk and had some words for his former teammate, Sheldon Richardson, prior to the Cleveland Browns facing off against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, October 3.

Mayfield was asked about Richardson during his press conference on Wednesday, September 29, and the QB said he expects some chirps from his former teammate of two years. He also decided to get a head start on the trash talk.

“As long as he does not wear that single-digit like he did in the preseason, I thought it made him look a little softer in the midsection,” Mayfield said Wednesday. “I love Sheldon. He is a good dude. Yeah, he will be chirping, that is for sure.”

Mayfield is referring to the No. 9 Richardson wore in the preseason. He has since moved to 90.


Richardson Took Less to Play for Vikings

The Browns released Richardson in April 2021, saving around $12 million against the cap. Cleveland was keeping track of Richardson after his release, hoping for a reunion at a lower price tag. However, that never transpired, with Richardson agreeing to play for the Vikings at a lower price point than what the Browns offered him, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

“You know, I started something there. Honestly, just couldn’t come to an agreement with what I wanted from Cleveland,” Richardson told the Vikings official site. “And me being cool with the organization here and knowing everything with what [head coach Mike Zimmer] and [co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson] bring to the table for me … they put me in position to make plays earlier in my career. It was a perfect fit.”

Last season, Richardson started all 16 games with the Browns, totaling 64 tackles, 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble. He was also a key locker room presence and leader on the field.

Richardson is a rotation piece of the defensive line in Minnesota, playing just over 20 snaps per game. He’s notched just two tackles and three pressures in the team’s first three games.


Browns Doing Just Fine on Defensive Line

The Browns haven’t missed Richardson, which is due to the emergence of Malik McDowell, who has taken over a starting role. That’s not something the Browns predicted when they parted ways with Richardson.

McDowell was the 35th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2017 draft but never played a down in Seattle. Shortly after the draft, he suffered what was thought to be a career-ending injury during an ATV accident and got into some legal trouble for off-field incidents.

“He is very powerful – you saw that on tape – but also has versatility to play either tackle position and to slide out and play D end for us, so he has versatility in that way,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said in August. “The beauty of our sport is the tape is your resume. When you’re out there on the practice field and it’s showing up and it also shows up in the game film, that’s who the player is.”

Andrew Billings and veteran Malik Jackson have also plugged up the middle for the Browns.

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