All offseason the media and analysts everywhere were drooling over the Cleveland Browns, as many felt that with their offensive weapons would be among the league's best. While their offense received most of the praise, people were not afraid to mention the talent they possessed on the defensive side of the ball as well.

That defense will be taking a hit now that it has been reported that captain linebacker Christian Kirksey will likely miss the rest of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. The Browns put Kirksey on injured reserve the following Saturday after he sustained the injury in a 23-3 Monday night win against the New York Jets.

The Browns, as well as Kirksey, hoped that he could possibly return to the field sometime this season. Unfortunately, his recent surgery and the time it would take for him to recover from it make it too far of a stretch.

While his injury does hurt the Browns defensively, Cleveland has to worry about the multitude of injuries they have on that same side of the ball as cornerbacks Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward remain questionable for this week's Monday night matchup against the undefeated San Fransisco 49ers.

Safeties Morgan Burnett and Sheldrick Redwine also remain on the injury report and are still listed as questionable. With the crowd of players that are stacking up on the injury list, Kirksey's loss will inevitably hurt the team's depth as they will try to get another solid performance from their reserves.