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- Mar 18, 2019
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The Browns said farewell to linebacker Chistian Kirksey on Tuesday.
Kirksey has been released with just over a week to go before the start of the 2020 league year. He’ll be free to sign with any other team once the move is officially processed by the league office.
“Christian Kirksey has been a vital member of our organization for the last six seasons because of his contributions on and off the field,” Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. “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.”
Kirksey didn’t miss a game in his first four seasons after the Browns made him a 2014 third-round pick, but a hamstring injury limited him to seven games in 2018 and a chest injury forced him to miss 14 games last year. He had 484 tackles, 11.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions when he was healthy enough to play.
The move clears $6.675 million in cap space while leaving $2.4 million in dead money.
Joe Schobert is set to hit the open market as a free agent next week, so Kirksey’s departure may not be the only significant one in the linebacking corps.