For LB Jordan Hicks, the past six weeks of the season were frustrating as he worked through a number of injuries.

Hicks suffered ribs and elbow injuries against the Giants in Week 3, saying Wednesday that he checked himself into the hospital following the Giants game for two days with an infection in his olecranon bursa, a fluid-filled sac located at the tip of the elbow.

“There’s a lot of things that nobody will ever know about this game and what players are going through,” Hicks said. “Getting checked out of the hospital Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening and then being in practice on Wednesday. Like, it’s just something that you do, and you deal with.”

Hicks played the following week against the Raiders, leaving with an elbow injury after just five snaps. In Week 5, Hicks was also dealing with a triceps injury per the Week 5 injury report. He missed four of the following five games before the Browns’ Week 10 bye week, playing in Week 7 against the Bengals.

“I wasn’t healthy. At the end of the day, you want to be out there, you want to play this game at a high level, at the highest level possible. But when you’re dealing with something that you use on every single play, it’s tough,” Hicks said.

While Hicks was sidelined with injury, he said that he made sure to be as engaged in meetings as he would be if he was healthy. As a leader on the Browns defense, Hicks helped guide young linebackers like Mohamoud Diabate, Winston Reidand Nathaniel Watson, in addition to six-year veteran Devin Bush, as they took the reins in the linebacker room with Hicks and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s absence.

Owusu-Koramoah left in the Browns’ Week 8 win over the Ravens with a neck injury. He was placed on the injured reserve list on Nov. 2.

“It’s been a storm,” Hicks said of his and Owusu-Koramoah’s injuries. “You’ve got guys stepping up, Mohamoud’s played well. Dev has jumped in, and he’s got a lot of proven football in his career, so expected that from him. And then you’ve got the young rooks, right? Those guys are stepping up and playing roles when we need them. So, it’s been a rally the troops mentality.”

The injuries to both himself and Owusu-Koramoah reminded Hicks of the inherent risks that come with playing football.

“We play this game because we love it,” Hicks said. “We sacrifice our bodies for it, and we understand the risks that are involved in it; but at the end of the day, you see something like that and it’s real life. I look at my life and I’ve got three kids and a wife at home and it’s like, what if I were to come home like that, you know? And he’s got family that he loves and people that care about him, more than just what he can do on the field. So, it puts things in perspective, and you hope and you pray that he’s going to make a miraculous recovery.”

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he will trust in the Browns medical team to make decisions regarding a potential return for Owusu-Koramoah this season. With Owusu-Koramoah out, Hicks will lead the linebacker room now that he is back on the practice field.

The 10-year veteran linebacker said Wednesday said that he is feeling good now and was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s injury report.

Hicks said he’s been impressed with the development of Diabate, who took over play communicating responsibilities in the Browns games against the Ravens and Chargers. Diabate, an undrafted free agent in his second season in the NFL, registered 13 total tackles, a tackle for loss and two passes defensed between the two games.

“Reps obviously help a lot in terms of your maturity in the game,” Hicks said. “But off the field leadership, having the green dot, making the calls, that’s a whole separate responsibility and leadership that comes with the position. You know, just running the show. He’s taking it extremely seriously, doing the extra work after practice, doing the extra work in the film room on a weekly basis.”