Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons

Browns free safety Tashaun Gipson is carted off the field after suffering a knee injury against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. (Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer)

(Joshua Gunter, Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns safety Tashaun Gipson was headed for a trip to the Pro Bowl with the way he was playing this season, but now he might just be headed for injured reserve.



Gipson, who leads the NFL with six interceptions, suffered a Grade 3 tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, which is a rupture of the ligament, a source told cleveland.com today. He also suffered some "very mild'' damage to his posterior cruciate ligament.

He did not suffer any damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, which was originally feared.

Gipson is likely to miss the final five games of the season, but has an outside shot at the playoffs if the Browns make it, the source said.

Therefore, the Browns will have to make a decision if they want to hold a roster spot for him or place him on injured reserve for the season.



"It will be some time,'' said coach Mike Pettine. "We just don't know. The timing that we've heard puts him potentially right at the end of the season. So I just don't know given the little information we have on it right now that we can make any decision on his status as to whether or not we have to put him on injured reserve."

Surgery is sometimes required to repair a ruptured MCL, but Gipson will likely try to heal without it. If he's lost for the season, Browns veteran safety Jim Leonhard, who's played for Pettine for six years and knows the defense as well as anyone, will step up to replace him.

"That's why it's been big for us to have him throughout the year, just to give us that quality depth and a guy we know could step in and play on limited practice repetitions,'' said Pettine. "And this is also a time we're very happy to have Jordan Poyer on the roster as well. We're confident when his number is called. He did get in for a few plays. His role will increase as we move forward without Gip. And we're obviously confident he'll do a good job for us."

Gipson was striking fear into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks and coaches with his ballhawking skills. In addition to his league-leading half-dozen, his 11 since 2013 are the most in the NFL. He has nine in his past 13 games.

"He's a game-wrecker,'' said Falcons coach Mike Smith on a conference call last week.

Gipson suffered the injury in a nasty collision with Joe Haden near the goal-line when both were defending against a pass to Julio Jones. They ran into each other and both were hurt at first, but Haden trotted off the field and soon re-entered the game.

Gipson tried to walk off with the help of trainers, but sat back down on the field and waited for the cart to carry him off. He grimaced and covered his face with a towel on the way off the field.

"Gipson is one of the best safeties, one of the top three in the NFL for sure," said Haden. "Losing him, you can't replace him, but in the NFL nobody is going to feel bad for you."

The loss is another major blow for a defense that is already lost end Phil Taylor and Armonty Bryant to season-ending knee injuries. John Hughes is also out until at least the final week with a knee injury and linebacker Karlos Dansby is out indefinitely with a sprained knee.