CLEVELAND — The Browns will be without one of their best defenders going forward.
Linebacker Jamie Collins Sr. will miss the rest of the season because of an MCL injury, head coach Hue Jackson said Monday.
"He's one of our best players, one of our leaders," Jackson said. "We'll miss him, but that's football."
Collins, a team captain and Pro Bowler in 2015, suffered the injury in Sunday's loss to the Lions. He intercepted quarterback Matthew Stafford on the second series of the game and had to be assisted off the field following the play. He did not return.
Jackson said he was unsure whether Collins will need surgery. "I know there's damage there. To the degree of what it is, I don't know that," he said.
Collins, who missed three games earlier this season because of a concussion, collected 31 tackles in six games.
Collins, who spent his first four seasons with the Patriots, joined the Browns in 2016 after a midseason trade. He re-signed with the team this past winter, citing Jackson's leadership and a promising future in Cleveland.
"He's a big-time player. I think he was right on the cusp of starting to make special plays," Jackson said. "Like I said, he's a tremendous guy on the practice field, in the locker room … we love him and we'll miss him."
