58 Christian Kirksey LB

Kirksey is dealing with a shoulder and ankle injury and was limited in Wednesday's practice, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Kirksey -- who played in every defensive snap for the Browns in 2017 -- was limited to just 61 of 89 snaps (73 percent) on Sunday versus Pittsburgh. Per Ulrich, coach Hue Jackson is hopeful Kirksey will be able to play against the Saints, though if he's unable to go, Genard Avery and Tanner Vellejo could see an increase in snaps.

Kirksey's new teammate Mychal Kendricks (ankle) will focus on the weakside linebacker position in Cleveland's 4-3 base defense, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Browns have a logjam at linebacker after adding Kendricks to a group that returns each of its three starters from last season. Despite piling up 286 tackles and six sacks the past two years, Kirksey no longer seems assured of a three-down role. It does help that he has experience playing in the middle, though he primarily operated as a weakside 'backer last year. Kendricks may end up taking snaps from Joe Schobert and/or Jamie Collins (knee) rather than Kirksey, but it will be hard to get a read on the situation until August or even September.

Kirksey, who posted seven tackles (four solo) during Cleveland's Week 17 loss to the Steelers, finishes 2017 with 138 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Kirksey was once again a force on Cleveland's defense in 2017. He finished tied for second in the NFL in combined tackles and tied a career high in sacks. The 25-year-old linebacker is under contract until after the 2021 season, so expect him to continue to be a dominant source of tackles for the Browns next year.

Kirksey made 13 tackles (seven solo) during Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Ravens.

Kirksey is as a reliable as they come when it comes to accumulating tackes. The 25-year-old trails only Joe Schobert for the team lead with 124 tackles, which includes five double-digit efforts. He's a must-start in most IDP leagues.

Kirksey racked up 10 tackles (six solo) during Sunday's 27-21 overtime loss to the Packers.

The 25-year-old linebacker has 111 combined tackles on the season, including 37 over the past four weeks. He, along with Joe Schobert, played every defensive snap for the Browns, and he continues to be a productive source of tackles in IDP leagues.