Four players got cut by the Cleveland Browns on Monday. Perhaps the only surprising thing about the news is that one of the players was not linebacker Christian Kirksey.
Kirksey is perceived to be on the chopping block primarily because of his salary. He’s due a lot of money over the next two years on a 4-year, $38 million contract extension he signed in 2017. The details, courtesy of Over The Cap:
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That’s a lot of salary cap commitment to a player who missed all but nine games over the last two seasons with injuries. A torn pectoral muscle suffered in Week 2 last year cost Kirksey almost the entire 2019 campaign. It was a big blow to the Browns’ defensive captain and spiritual leader. And given how the team played just two LBs almost exclusively under defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, he wasn’t really missed on the field.
Yet there is still value in keeping Kirksey on the Browns, even with the lofty contract.
It starts with the new defense and coordinator Joe Woods, which promises a return to an actual 4-3. Kirksey is a natural as a 4-3 MLB, a between-the-tackles thumper who attacks downhill against the run and can flow to the sidelines to make plays.
Now factor in Joe Schobert and his free agent uncertainty. Schobert is no longer on the Browns, though they could re-sign him. It would be far more expensive than Kirksey’s deal to bring back Schobert. Losing Kirksey and Schobert both leaves a linebacker room of Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki as the only players with any real Browns experience. Tae Davis, Willie Harvey, Jermaine Grace — that’s the rest of the LB corps after (smartly) dumping Adarius Tayor on Monday.
If Schobert does indeed leave the Dawg Pound, Kirksey’s veteran presence is even more valuable for the youngsters around him. Takitaki can certainly use the guiding hand of having a guy like Kirksey helping him in the huddle, calling the defense and swarming with him to the ball to help the ailing Browns run defense. With Wilson as the coverage LB, it’s a nice blend of talents and skills.
That’s why the Browns would keep Kirksey. It’s admittedly not likely to happen, but if No. 58 is back in the brown and orange in 2020, he does indeed have value for the team.