Christian Kirksey

Kirksey has now missed four or more games in four straight seasons, but he did return to IDP relevance with the Texans last year, getting plenty of tackle opportunities in the middle of a bad defense. He finished with 93 in 13 games, and while unlikely to match his peak numbers from Cleveland a half-decade ago, the 30-year-old linebacker has potential as an LB2 for however long he stays healthy.

Blake Martinez is off to the Giants, and Kirksey is the favorite to take on his workload in 2020. It's reasonable to worry about Kirksey's performance level as he learns a new defense, and it's especially reasonable to worry about Kirksey's durability after hamstring and pectoral injuries ended his 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively. But if Kirksey's injury luck does bounce back, an LB1 season could be in the cards. Even with teammate Joe Schobert piling up tackles at a high rate, Kirksey made 181 tackles in 2017 and 2018 while playing 1,547 snaps, meaning at that rate he would project for around 117 tackles over 1,000 snaps. There's less competition for tackles in Green Bay, though, where Martinez eclipsed the 140-tackle mark each of the last three years.

After starting 16 games for consecutive seasons, injuries finally caught up to Kirksey in 2018. He ultimately ended up starting all seven games he played and recorded 29 tackles (15 solo) in the process. At 26-years-old and entering his sixth season with the Browns, the starting weakside linebacker is also presumably entering his prime. Barring any unforeseen injuries, the Iowa product should have plenty of opportunities for a big year on an up-and-coming team.

The Browns are suddenly loaded at linebacker with Kirksey, Joe Schobert and Jamie Collins around, but Kirksey appears to be the one whose three-down workload is beyond question. A rangy playmaker perfectly cut out for today's increasing nickel formation emphasis, Kirksey has established himself as a top tackle source with 286 over the last two years. His speed hasn't resulted in many turnovers so far, but that might change as Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah grow into one of the league's most feared edge-rushing tandems. Kirksey is a fine blitzer otherwise, averaging 2.9 sacks in four seasons.

Kirksey broke out in his third season out of Iowa last year, as his promotion to a three-down role allowed his near-elite athleticism to shine through on the box score. Small but speedy, Kirksey's standout range will allow him to continue piling up tackles even if the Browns switch to a 4-3 after primarily playing in a 3-4 last season. The only thing to keep in mind is that regression is likely -- Kirksey's snap count (1,112) was largely a product of the Browns' offensive ineptitude, which figures to improve at least slightly this season.

While Kirksey saw his tackling total drop from 81 to 63 in his second year in the league, he recorded a career-high 3.5 sacks last year. Only 23 years old, the linebacker is one of the Browns' rising talents and should continue to grow under new defensive coordinator Ray Horton.

Kirksey tallied 81 combined tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble during his rookie year in Cleveland, stepping up big when fellow inside linebacker Karlos Dansby was forced to miss five games. He'll likely need a similar sequence of events to pass if he plans on seeing consistent playing time in the upcoming season, as Craig Robertson — who posted a career-best 99 combined tackles over 11 starts — will be the early favorite to win the starting inside linebacker job alongside Karlos Dansby. It projects to be a close battle, however, so Kirksey’s status is certainly worth monitoring in IDP leagues.

Kirksey will provide the Browns with depth at inside linebacker in 2014. If he can make an early impression in camp, the third-round draft pick could find himself just one injury away from seeing the field in his rookie campaign.