The Cleveland Browns will be without their second-leading receiver for the remainder of the 2014 season.
The team announced Wednesday veteran wide receiver Miles Austin has been placed on injured reserve after being hospitalized with a kidney ailment Sunday night.
"Miles sustained a kidney injury in Buffalo and remains in the hospital," coach Mike Pettine explained in a statement. "Our thoughts are with him and we wish him a speedy recovery. Miles is a guy who embodies what 'Play like a Brown' means and instills that in our receiving corps."
The 30-year-old former Cowboys star will finish his ninth NFL season with 568 yards and two touchdowns on 47 receptions. Austin was a reliable move-the-chains option for Brian Hoyer this season, but no longer boasts the run-after-catch power/speed combination that made him an elite playmaker in 2009 and 2010.
The team announced that Hoyer will remain the starting quarterback for Sunday's game versus the Indianapolis Colts.
With Josh Gordon drawing more targets than any NFL player over the past two weeks, Austin's role was on the wane. Hoyer still has the benefit of strong second and third options in Andrew Hawkins and rookie deep threat Taylor Gabriel.
An afterthought free-agent signing last May, Austin will likely face a soft market again in 2015.
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