BEREA, Ohio — The Browns are near the end of their rope with running back Peyton Hillis and are prepared to let him walk in free agency after this season, NFL sources said.

At this point, it would take a dramatic turnaround in behavior and production for Hillis to persuade the Browns to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent in March.

"It's one thing after another, and what's been out there isn't even the half of it," one source said.

And now, Hillis is expected to miss at least a couple of more games after re-injuring his hamstring in practice Friday afternoon. Hillis had an MRI on Friday, and it showed a significant strain to his left hamstring. Hillis got hurt in the first 15 minutes of practice, which was open to the media.

On a run up the middle, Hillis came up limping and grabbed the back of his left leg. In dramatic fashion, he spiked the ball and then whipped his helmet to the ground.

Hillis limped off the field and stood hunched over in pain. Then he spent time talking to a trainer with his head down and his hands on his hips. Within a few minutes, he limped halfway toward the fieldhouse, stopped and was examined by the trainers.

He's listed as questionable on the official injury report but is not expected to play Sunday in Houston. Chris Ogbonnaya will replace him in the starting lineup, and newly signed Thomas Clayton will serve as a third-down back.

"I'm sure if [Hillis] can't play this week, he'll be frustrated by that, but the key is to do everything in his power to get healthy so he can play," said coach Pat Shurmur.

After everything that's transpired with Hillis this season, some of the players weren't sure what to make of the dramatic display. "But the injury is legit," a source said.

Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace confirmed a report on Yahoo Sports and in The Plain Dealer that the players are tired of some of Hillis' antics. Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports first reported that some of the players talked to Hillis on Wednesday about his recent actions. A source told The Plain Dealer that it was the Browns' "regular leadership group," which includes Hillis. They stayed after their meeting with Shurmur to confront and support Hillis.

The players were annoyed that Hillis spent most of pregame warm-ups in San Francisco -- despite being ruled inactive for the second straight week with the hamstring -- throwing passes from midfield to the crossbar alongside third-string quarterback Thad Lewis.

"It was a bad look," one veteran Browns player told Silver. "And it did not sit well with any of us."

Said Wallace: "Yes, it did get on some people's nerves that he was throwing balls when he was injured. But at the end of the day, it's his last name on the back of his jersey, and he has to decide how he wants to represent himself."

Wallace also confirmed a report by The Plain Dealer that players were upset Hillis went to Arkansas to get married last Tuesday instead of coming in for treatment. He practiced Wednesday and then sat out the rest of the week, including the Niners game. For comparison's sake, cornerback Joe Haden underwent eight hours of treatment on his knee some days to get ready for the Seattle game Oct. 23.

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"Of course we're going to be a little upset if Peyton's not in there getting his treatment," said Wallace. "We're a team, and we rely on each other. But if he felt he wanted to go get married that day, that's his business. You never really know what a person is going through. You don't know what type of influences a person might have. I don't know the stuff that Peyton has going on in his life."

Wallace acknowledged that Hillis doesn't seem to be the same person he was last season when he rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"I think everybody's noticed a little bit of a change in him, but he could have some family issues or something," said Wallace. "Maybe his priorities have changed. We have a whole new staff, so a lot of things have changed. Maybe some of it's overblown."

A source said Hillis was recently late to a team meeting on top of his other erratic behaviors. On Monday night, he missed a scheduled appearance at the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland's Halloween party and issued an apology Wednesday. He attributed it to not receiving the right information from his brother and business manager, Kyle Hillis, and not realizing the importance of the event. He also promised to make it up.

Hillis' star-crossed season began with unsuccessful negotiations to extend his contract -- negotiations which broke off recently. Browns President Mike Holmgren said recently the Browns would try to re-sign Hillis in free agency, but that's now in serious doubt. Then came the strep throat that led him to miss the Dolphins game in Week 3 upon the advice of his agent. A league source confirmed some players did not appreciate Hillis listening to his agent and taking himself out before the game. By the time he missed the San Francisco game, some wondered just how hurt he really was -- especially watching him launch those passes from midfield.

One veteran Browns player told Silver: "I've never seen anything like it. Last year, Peyton was such a positive, inspirational force on our team -- but now he's like a different guy. It's like he's in a funk that he can't get out of, and it's killing us, because we really need him. And we've told him that. But we're at the point where we just don't know what to do."

Another confided he thinks Browns management failed to support Hillis at a time when he's apparently mentally fragile.

Another said: "The organization is not going to reward a guy they think is moping or acting out or going about it the wrong way, just out of principle, and because of the message it sends to younger guys. And I totally understand that."

Browns General Manager Tom Heckert told Yahoo Sports, "The guys we did sign [to big contracts], those are the guys we feel are ultimate team guys who want to be here."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot