Cleveland Browns injury report: Joe Haden out, Charles Gaines in

Dec 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones (82) catches a touchdown as Cleveland Browns cornerback Charles Gaines (43) defends during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bengals won 37-3. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns injury report for Sunday’s game against San Francisco raises some questions, especially at the cornerback position.

The Cleveland Browns released their injury report for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, and while there are no surprises about who is out, there are some unanswered questions about who is in.

Cornerback Joe Haden will miss his seventh game out of the past eight with a concussion, and rookie Charles Gaines will take Haden’s starting spot opposite from Tramon Williams.

“(Charles) competed and did some good things (against Cincinnati),” head coach Mike Pettine said on Friday. “The one thing about Gaines is that he is confident. He has that corner mentality that he can hit the reset button. He is a young guy that we think has a future here, and we are getting to see him play.”

The big unanswered question in all this is what happened to second-year cornerback Pierre Desir who has gone from seeing playing time to being a healthy scratch last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“The inactive thing (with Desir), it kind of more came down to special teams and then inside-out flexibility,” defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil explained on Thursday. “We thought with Charles, he gave us back up ability at slot and outside. That’s why (Pierre) was inactive. We’re not down on Desir. We just thought the other guys maybe practiced a little bit better than him.”

OK, then.

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Here is the full injury report for Sunday’s game:

Cleveland: Out: Justin Gilbert (concussion), Joe Haden (concussion) and Andrew Hawkins (concussion). Questionable: Gary Barnidge (ankle), Travis Benjamin (shoulder), Taylor Gabriel (concussion), Brian Hartline (hip) and Marlon Moore (ribs). Probable: Cameron Erving (ankle) and Johnny Manziel (elbow).

San Francisco: Out: Vance McDonald (concussion). Questionable: Tramaine Brock (foot), Aaron Lynch (concussion) and Torrey Smith (back/toe). Probable: Arik Armstead (shoulder), Anquan Boldin (hamstring), Alex Boone (knee), NaVorro Bowman (shoulder/finger), Quinton Dial (shoulder), Kendall Gaskins (hamstring), Eli Harold (shoulder), Marcus Martin (ankle), Erik Pears (knee), Mike Purcell (shoulder), Joe Staley (knee) and Jaquiski Tartt (ankle).

Probable = virtual certainty player will be available for normal duties. Questionable = 50% chance player will not play; Doubtful = at least 75% chance player will not play; Out = will not play.