After moving on from four players from the 2019 team almost a month ago, the Cleveland Browns have released linebacker Christian Kirksey.
In a statement from GM Andrew Berry and the Browns (via clevelandbrowns.com):
Christian Kirksey has been a vital member of our organization for the last six seasons because of his contributions on and off the field. He has been a strong leader both in our locker room and in the Cleveland community. These are difficult decisions and, in Christian’s case, more challenging because of how well he has represented our team. We thank him for his dedication and wish him nothing but the best in the next phase of his career.
The oft-injured Kirksey was drafted by the Browns out of Iowa in the third round, 71st overall, of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in 73 out of 96 games and was a starter for 54 of those games. “Kirko” was selected as a team captain and was well-respected in the Cleveland locker room.
With the release of Kirksey, the Browns add another $7.55 million to available cap space going into the 2020 offseason. Overall, this would give the Browns around $65.8 million in available cap room. Additionally, this should not be the last release from the Browns. Speculation has been swirling OL Chris Hubbard and SS Morgan Burnett could be released to create another $8.2 million in cap space.
On the flip side of the conversation, this creates yet another open starting position for the Browns going into 2020. It can be implied by the Browns current roster, second-year linebackers Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki will see their playing times significantly increase with this release and the impending free agency of linebacker Joe Schobert.
