BEREA, Ohio, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Browns Wednesday placed defensive end Courtney Brown, the top pick in the 2000 draft, on injured reserve with cartilage damage in his left knee, finishing his season.
Brown will undergo knee surgery Thursday, but does not appear to have any ligament damage, according to Cleveland coach Butch Davis.
It marks the second straight year Brown will end the season on injured reserve. He started all 16 games as a rookie, but missed 11 contests last year due to knee and ankle injuries.
Brown has been projected as a star, but he struggled through another injury-plagued season and ends the year with just two sacks.
Brown bruised his knee when he banged it on the artificial turf at the Superdome in Cleveland's 24-15 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 24. He played the following week against Carolina, but sat out the Browns' last two games.
Cleveland is 7-7, 1 1/2 games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North with two games remaining.
